Bengaluru:  The updation of National Population Register (NPR) will be taken up in Bengaluru and elsewhere in Karnataka along with Phase I of the Census 2021 exercise, beginning from April 15, 2020. 

The actual enumeration of persons for Census-2021 is slated to be done in Phase II from Feb. 9 to 28 in 2021. Phase 1 of the Census exercise, the house listing and housing census, and the NPR updation will end on May 29, 2020.

Announcing the details of Census-2021 here yesterday, S.B. Vijay Kumar, Director of Census Operations in Karnataka, said, “Persons are counted at their places of availability during the enumeration period between Feb. 9 and 28 in 2021. Data for NPR will be updated along with house listing and housing census. A mobile application has been developed for the enumerators.” 

Kumar, a Haryana cadre IAS Officer, who chaired a meeting of officials earlier in the day, made it clear that citizens need not panic over NPR and it has nothing to do with the ongoing CAA-NRC controversy.

While stating that citizens need not produce any documents as proof during the updation of NPR and no officer will demand the same, he, however, said: “Details of Aadhaar number, PAN, Voter ID Card and Driving Licence number would be sought during NPR updation, but it is up to the citizens to share them. They can decline to furnish the details, but it won’t affect updation and they will not be excluded from NPR.” 

“The Union Home Minister has already clarified that CAA-NRC has nothing to do with NPR,” Kumar said, adding that NPR is governed by the Citizenship Act 1955 which was amended in 2003. 

 Kumar said most of the entries during the census are numeric and census house numbers will be four-digit serial numbers. There would be 34 questions on the condition of the house.

 It will have questions on amenities available in the house, the main cereal consumed by occupants, their assets such as mobile phones, vehicles and much more, he added. Population enumeration will have 28 questions in descriptive and coded pattern such as relationship to head, religion, caste, mother tongue and other languages known, highest educational level attained, occupation, nature of industry, place of birth and place of last residence.