Indian government orders update of population register

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Amid mass protests triggered by a new citizenship law, Indian government on Tuesday gave the green light to update the country's demographic registry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government gave the go-ahead to update the National Population Register (NPR), the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

"A usual resident is defined for the purposes of NPR as a person who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more, or a person who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more," the report said.

New Delhi has earmarked 8.5 billion Indian rupees ($1.2 billion) to update the registry, which it has described as a "list of usual residents of the country".

The decision came after the cabinet meeting which was chaired by Modi in the capital New Delhi.

"The Union Cabinet has approved a proposal to update the NPR. No one needs to give any proof. Everyone who lives in India will be included," Union Minister Prakash Javadekar told reporters after the meeting, local broadcaster NDTV reported.

All Indian citizens are required to submit the requested information into the registry from the beginning of the exercise slated for April 2020.

The announcement came as mass demonstrations have erupted after the Modi government enacted amendments to the country's citizenship law on Dec. 11.

The new law will grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, but not Muslims under the same circumstances.

At least 26 people lost their lives during protests against the legislation that is criticized for being discriminatory against Muslims.

According to several media reports, the Modi government also plans to implement the National Registration of Citizens (NRC), which asks people living in India to prove their citizenship. In one province, nearly 1.9 million people were left stateless as a result of this practice.