Pilot project of NRC update in select blocks

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NEW DELHI, Sept 9 – The updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) is likely to be implemented first as a pilot project in selected blocks in Assam. This was the proposal mooted by the Ministry of Home Affairs. A crucial round of meeting on the modalities for updating the NRC, first since it was submitted, was held on Monday. Assam Government has been pressurising the Centre to expedite the clearance of the modalities to buy some breathing space after agitations against the illegal migrants gathered momentum.

A meeting at the North Block was chaired by secretary Border Management, Jarnail Singh and joined by Register General of India, D.K.Sikri, besides chief secretary of Assam, P.C.Sarma and other officials of Home Ministry and State Government.

According to sources, Assam Government has asked the State Government supply some more details on the modalities to the Centre to enable it to initiate steps to amend the Citizenship Act. The Act has to be amended to include some of the modalities proposed by the State Government.

The State Government has mooted that the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules 2003 shall have to be amended.

The possibility of the up dated NRC coming into effect soon, appears remote because the amendments have be to be cleared by the Union Cabinet before being introduced in the Parliament. The Parliamentary Standing Committee attached to the concerned ministry, which is Home Ministry, in this case, vets the bill, once introduced in the Parliament.

The Bill would then come up for discussions in both the Houses of the Parliament before its passage. Given the time constraints because the general elections are due next year, it is highly unlikely that the amended bill would be introduced in the ensuing session on October 17, which in all probability is likely to be the last Parliament Session before the Lok Sabha polls.

Sources confided that the Centre has proposed that the up dated NRC be implemented through a pilot project in certain identified blocks before the process gets underway in the entire State.

The Centre prefers to adopt the same method as taken in case of issuing multi-purpose identity cards in selected districts all-over the country. The pilot project is under implementation in two districts in Assam and Tripura in North-east.

According to the draft modalities released by Assam government, the updating of NRC is proposed to be carried out under the control of Registrar General of India, as per the provisions of the Citizenship Act and Rules. Only the relevant rule has to be amended to facilitate the updating of NRC Assam without enumeration, the modalities said.

The updating of the 1951 National Register of Citizens (NRC) is proposed to be done on the basis of the original NRC of 1951 and the electoral rolls up to 1971. The entire exercise of determination of eligibility for entry in the updated NRC is based on official records. House-to- house enumeration has been suggested in the proposed modality.

According to the proposal, illegal migrants who entered the State after 1971 shall not be included in the consolidated list. However, the persons who came after 1966 and before March 25, 1971 and registered themselves with the FRRO would be eligible to be included in the consolidated list.

The list so prepared would be published as draft updated NRC. Persons, whose names do not figure in the draft NRC, shall be verified by conducting spot enquiry. Names shall be added to the list only if found eligible on the basis of the report of the local verification officers.

However, persons who are originally inhabitants of Assam and their children and descendants, who are citizens of India ab initio, shall be included in the consolidated list, if the citizenship of such persons is ascertained beyond reasonable doubt and to the full satisfaction of the registering authority. source: assam tribune

Accord implementation

Accord implementation

It is a positive sign that Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh has started taking personal initiative to monitor the implementation of the Assam Accord as only such initiatives at the highest level can bring a ray of hope to the people of Assam, who are waiting for around 23 years for the implementation of the Accord for the solution of the problem of infiltration of foreigners. The Prime Minister recently assured a delegation of the All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) that he would seek reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Assam Government on the progress of the implementation of the Accord to personally monitor the same. One hopes that he would keep his promise to ensure that at least the international border is sealed within the tenure of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to at least check the unabated infiltration of foreign nationals to Assam which to not only poses a threat to the identity of the indigenous people, but also a threat to the security of the nation. However, it remains to be seen whether the Prime Minister actually keeps his promise in the interest of the nation as the decisions taken in a meeting chaired by him more than three years back are yet to be implemented. A series of vital decisions were taken in a tripartite meeting involving the State and Central Governments and the AASU on May 5, 2005, which was chaired by none other than the Prime Minister himself, but unfortunately, the decisions taken in the meeting are yet to be implemented.One of the major decisions taken in that meeting was to complete the fencing and roads along the Assam-Bangladesh border within a year, but till date, the international border remains a porous one and several deadlines on the completion of the fencing expired. The Government of India must complete the fencing on war footing to check further infiltration of foreigners. The other major decision was to complete the process of updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) of 1951 within a couple of years and to provide photo identity cards to the Indian citizens. This is vital for identification of the foreigners. But unfortunately, the Assam Government took more than three years even to formulate the modalities for updating the NRC and the same is yet to be approved by the Government of India. Moreover, the Centre is yet to amend the Citizenship Act to authorise the State Government to update the NRC. If the decisions taken in a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister are not implemented, the people may lose faith on the democratic system and one hopes that keeping this in mind, Dr Singh will take personal initiative to ensure implementation of all the clauses of the Assam Accord within a stipulated time frame. Source: Assam Tribune 13.06.08

AASU moves PM seeking CBI probe against 5 Asom ministers

AASU moves PM seeking CBI probe against 5 Asom ministers

By our Staff ReporterGUWAHATI, June 10: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) has moved Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh demanding CBI inquiry into the allegations against a number of Asom ministers. The students’ body has told the Prime Minister that Asom Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi was protecting the ‘‘tainted ministers’’ of his Cabinet. A delegation of the AASU held a meeting with Dr Singh at his official residence in New Delhi yesterday.Talking to newsmen here today, AASU president Sankar Prasad Rai, general secretary Tapan Kumar Gogoi and advisor Samujjal Bhattacharya said they demanded of the Prime Minister to ensure CBI inquiry against Asom Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain, Water Resources Minister Bharat Narah, Border Area Development Minister Gautam Roy and Power and Industries Minister Pradyut Bordoloi. The AASU leaders told the Prime Minister that Gogoi’s protective cover on his ‘‘tainted ministers’’ was proved with the arrest of former Education Minister Ripun Bora by the CBI.According to the AASU, while Himanta Biswa Sarma faces allegations of corruption and possession of assets disproportionate to his known sources on income, Rockybul Hussain faces allegations like involvement in the killing of journalist Prahlad Goala for exposing the encroachment of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) land by people of suspected nationalities, Bharat Narah faces allegations of massive corruption in construction of embankments, Gautam Roy is an accused in the Pratul Deb murder case, and Pradyut Bordoloi faces an allegation of his involvement in the abduction of Prasanna Turung and his wife.The Prime Minister, according to the AASU leaders, said that the arrest of Ripun Bora was unfortunate. He, however, refused to air any comment on the demand for CBI inquiry into the allegations against other ministers of Gogoi’s Cabinet. “I will have to talk to the Asom Chief Minister because recommendations from his Government for any CBI inquiry into the allegations is a must,” the AASU leaders quoted the Prime Minister as telling them.According to the AASU leaders, the Prime Minister also expressed his surprise over the non-implementation of important clauses of the Assam Accord like total sealing of the border with Bangladesh, NRC update etc. “I will seek reports from the Asom Government and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on the implementation of the Assam Accord. Another round of tripartite talks on the Assam Accord will be held soon,” the AASU leaders quoted the Prime Minister as assuring them. During the meet, the AASU leaders termed Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi as the ‘‘saviour of Bangladeshis’’ for which detected foreigners do the vanishing act under his administration in the State.

CBI likely to probe Turung case

By our Staff ReporterGUWAHATI, June 10: The Asom Government will take up the case relating to the mysterious disappearance of Tirap Autonomous District Council Demand Committee (TADCDC) leader Prasanna Turung and his wife Kamal Turung with the CBI for investigation. The Turung couple has been missing since April 8, 2007.Talking to newsmen here today, Asom Power and Industries Minister Pradyut Bordoloi said Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi has agreed to take up the case with the CBI for investigation. Bordoloi made it to the State Assembly from Margherita LAC from where Turungs hail. It is worth mentioning here that the arrest of former Asom Education Minister Ripun Bora by the CBI has led to demand for CBI inquiry against a number of ministers of the State who have allegations against them. Bordoloi said the NCP has politicized the Turung case with an ulterior motive to show his involvement in the case. “Turung had been fighting elections since 1986 and he never got more than 2,000 votes. So how can he be a rival for me?” Bordoloi questioned, and said: “I myself took up the case with the then Tinsukia SP. The police conducted an investigation and arrested two suspects from Siliguri — Amu and Apu — who are on bail now. I approached the Assam Police on the Turung case as I thought that the State police force was capable enough to handle the case. Since the whereabouts of Turungs couldn’t be ascertained, I wrote a letter to the Chief Minister on June 5 requesting him to hand over the case to the CBI.” He said the Chief Minister assured him of requesting the CBI to take up the case.On the arrest of Ripun Bora, Bordoloi said: “It’s unfortunate. The incident has outraged the image of the party and the Government. We are, however, taking steps to restore the image of the party and the Government through developmental works under the leadership of Tarun Gogoi. Gogoi has already made it a point that criminals have no place in his Council of Ministers.” Source: Sentinel Assam