Parliament panel asks Centre to take states' suggestion before rolling out NPR

There is dissatisfaction and fear among people regarding the upcoming National Population Register (NPR) and Census, a Parliamentary panel has told the government, advising it to ensure that the fears are allayed before the process starts, to ensure effective data collection.

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel has observed that there is a lot of dissatisfaction and fear among people on the upcoming National Population Register (NPR) and census and asked the government to have a national consensus on the two exercises to be carried out from next month so that there is absolute clarity and no apprehension in anyone's mind.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by Congress leader Anand Sharma, also said it would like the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to explore the feasibility of using the Aadhaar metadata for the Census and updating the NPR in 2020-21.

Welcoming the suggestion, senior Communist Party of India (CPI) leader Atul Anjan has said that the Parliamentary panel has given the right suggestion.

"There should not by a yardstick to a decision. The concern of all should be taken into consideration. As many of the states have already brought a resolution against NPR, it was necessary on the party of the central government to take the consensus of all," said Anjan.

The parliamentary panel has also recommended setting up a planning board and investment promotion agency in Jammu and Kashmir in a stipulated time to formulate investment plans.