BY Tajdar H Zaidi
New Delhi – The Government of India has the legal authority to issue National Identity Cards to all Indian citizens under the Citizenship Act of 1955, the Ministry of Home Affairs informed the Lok Sabha this week.
The clarification came in response to a parliamentary question raised by Trinamool Congress MP Mala Roy, who sought details about legally admissible identity proofs under Indian citizenship laws.
In a written reply, Minister of State for Home Affairs, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, said that as per Section 14A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, which was amended in 2004, the Central Government is empowered to compulsorily register every citizen of India and issue a National Identity Card.
He further clarified that such identity cards can only be issued to those individuals whose details are entered into either the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) or the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Assam: The Sole State with NRC Implementation
As of now, Assam remains the only state where the NRC exercise has been conducted. However, the final version of the NRC is yet to be officially published.
The draft list, released in 2019, excluded around 19 lakh individuals out of a total of 3.29 crore applicants, leading to widespread debate and legal challenges. The Assam government has since contested the draft NRC in court, which has delayed the publication of the final list.
No Plans Yet to Update NPR During Census 2027
The Home Ministry also clarified that there is no decision yet to update the National Population Register (NPR) during the upcoming Population Census scheduled for 2027. The NPR, which serves as a foundational database for any future NRC process, was first compiled in 2010 and subsequently updated during 2015-16.
It currently contains demographic and biometric data of approximately 119 crore residents of the country.
The NPR was earlier compiled as part of the House Listing and Housing Census phase of the 2011 Census, and it includes a range of personal information such as names, addresses, family details, and dates of birth.
NRC, CAA, and the National Controversy
The NRC and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) triggered massive nationwide protests during 2019-2020. These protests witnessed widespread participation across states, with citizens raising concerns about potential exclusion, communal implications, and human rights violations.
According to official figures, 83 people lost their lives in the agitation against the proposed implementation of the NRC at the national level.
In light of the public backlash, the government had then informed Parliament that no final decision had been taken to roll out the NRC across the entire country. This stand appears to have remained unchanged, as the Ministry reiterated this position in its latest communication.
Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which had included the implementation of NRC nationwide as a prominent promise in its 2019 election manifesto, dropped any mention of NRC in its 2024 manifesto, signaling a significant shift in political positioning.
Looking Ahead
While the legal framework exists for issuing National Identity Cards, and the infrastructure in the form of NPR is in place, the central government has so far taken a cautious approach.
Given the sensitive political and social implications of a nationwide NRC and the identity card issuance process, the government appears to be treading carefully, especially in the wake of past unrest and the complexity of implementation.
As the country moves closer to the next census in 2027, the debate over identity, citizenship, and documentation is likely to resurface — but for now, no formal steps have been initiated for a nationwide NRC or National Identity Card rollout.
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