NRC Full-form

NRC full-form is National Register of Citizen and is a register which contains details of all Indian citizens under the citizenship act 1955. This government enacted policy helps in identifying illegal immigrants who are residing in India. During 2012-14, Assam was the first state to implement it as the state is nestled close to the border. Well, the government is determined to enforce NRC in the rest of India in 2021. On November 20, 2019, Home Minister Amit Shah declared in an official statement that NRC implementation will begin once the Covid vaccination drive ends. 

What is NRC Full-form?

As discussed above, the NRC's full form is the National Register of Citizens. It is a register created in 1951 after the conduction of the census the same year in respect of each village. The register displays houses or holding of people in serial order and contains information like the names of people residing in a house. 

If we trace back its evolution, it roughly began after the census was conducted in 1951 and Assam being a border state was the first to implement it. One of the catalysts behind the introduction of NRC was to curb illegal immigration and identify people who migrated to Assam from Bangladesh in the 1971 war. NRC seems to be a crucial topic asked in the UPSC exam, so if you are going to appear for the UPSC, keep your keen eyes on our article to gather adequate information about this policy.

Highlights on NRC

Studying the Background of NRC in India

Assam became the first state in India to maintain a register containing details of citizens of India because it is located pretty close to the border. Well, the first NRC, the full form of which is the National Register of Citizens, was conducted just after the 1951 census but afterward, it was not maintained. Parliament passed a bill on the Illegal Migrants Act of 1983 to identify immigrants. In 2005, the Supreme Court called it unconstitutional following the incident, and the Indian government decided to bring some updates to the Assam NRC. 

Since the court's decision, no developments have been addressed in Assam NRC, and as a result, the Supreme Court began monitoring the process again in 2013. If we take a jibe at the NRC published on August 31, 2019, we will find that a population of about  31 million are registered, rendering 1.9 million people stateless. Well, on November 19, 2019, Amit Shah portrayed the urgency to implement NRC in the rest of India.

Objective and Specifications in the Assam NRC 

The primary objective of encouraging the government to enforce the National Register of Citizens is to find out the immigrants who illegally crossed the border and entered Assam. Besides this, another aim fulfilled by this citizenship policy is ensuring that citizens residing in the state of Assam are genuine citizens or immigrants. Similar to the census, NRC also gathers information on the name of each family member residing in a house, and other important details necessary to prove whether the family is an original inhabitant of India. 

When registering for citizenship, an individual needs to provide the below-mentioned information.

• Passport or any other government-issued citizenship certificate
• Permanent residential certificate
• Bank or post office account
• Birth certificate
• Educational certificates
• Government employment certificate
• LIC policy
• Birth certificate
• Refugee registration certificate
• Land and tenancy records

Since 1950, the state of Assam has been constantly undergoing the threat of losing cultural identity from the minds of its original inhabitants. During the 70s Assam faced massive agitation when the All Assam Students Association protected against illegal migrant deportation in the state. To protect sanctity and peace among the citizens, the NRC played a crucial role.

What are the Eligibility Requirements of NRC?

A resident living in any state of India will get a place in the NRC only if they fulfill some of the important eligibility criteria. Let’s check them out.

• Those who can provide documents that were issued at midnight of March 24, 1971.
• Families or individuals whose names were found in the 1972 NRC or in any of the electoral rolls till midnight of March 24, 1971, are eligible for NRC.
• People residing with their families in the state of Assam are considered original inhabitants as per the registering authority after revealing adequate documents are provided citizenship rights.
• Those who have registered in the central government with FRRO and the authorities entitled them as original inhabitants are also held eligible.
• If a person or a family migrated to Assam after or on January 1, 1966, can be called residents of Assam and easily get an NRC.

Is Implementing NRC Necessary for India?

The National Register of Citizens (NRC full form) provides adequate information on the people who have been residing in India illegally hence, crucial to safeguarding the country’s integrity and harmony. If we take the example of Assam and how NRC brought improvement, we will definitely think of enforcing it in the rest of India. With the implementation of NRC, the state of Assam got a clear picture of the people living in the state illegally, half of them migrated from Bangladesh since the 1971 war. 

Illegal immigration is perhaps a major problem any nation can face, and it seems the NRC is the only way to save our country against migrants. Providing shelter to migrants can pose a serious threat to India’s economic development. 

To make sure India paves the path to sound economic growth, the identification of original citizens is definitely the need of the hour. 

We really hope that the government of India takes active steps towards enforcing the NRC, the full form of which is the National Register of Citizens, in the rest of the country to offer rights to the original citizens of India thereby, protecting the harmony of the nation. 

Advantages of Implementing NRC

The Indian government is determined to maintain a register for Indian citizens to minimize incidents of illegal entry into the country. People who are doubtful about NRC can explore the advantages below

1. NRC will play a pivotal role in ensuring the nation’s security and imposing restrictions on borders that will stop illegal immigrants. To some extent, incidents of human trafficking, smuggling, and other anti-social activities will be curbed.
2. Its implementation will serve as a demographic, cultural, and linguistic identity. Places close to the border face the issues of cultural assimilation and NRC can solve this emerging problem.
3. NRC implementation across different states of India will ensure that each Indian citizen is getting access to basic rights and opportunities. 
4. The act will aim at segregation authentic Indian citizens from the illegal ones. Verification and registration of the legitimate people will enable the government to ensure the country is resided by genuine Indians.

Challenges of Implementing NRC in India

Though NRC will curb the entry of immigrants illegally certain challenges might befall a strata of people. According to the regulation enacted by NRC, any individual not holding proper documents proofing Indian citizenship will be ousted. If we recall the incidents and controversies post-implementation of NRC in Assam, some clouds of doubt might distress the unregistered citizens of India. Some critics believe that NRC might have the same set of challenges as faced by Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. One of the biggest challenges of the national register for citizens is people will be tagged based on religion. 

A major concern distressing a state of society is NRC might hinder the rights of minority communities like Muslims. Protestors are of the viewpoint that ousting Muslims and NRC implementation are the same. Well, the government wishes to impose the NRC to safeguard the original citizens of India and prevent illegal immigration.