About NRC Update in Assam

NRC update was one of the key demands related to Assam Accord of 1985. But due to various reasons nothing happened until the Supreme Court of India directed Assam Government to complete upgrading NRC by 2016. The process of updating NRC started in March, 2015. In this article, we will try to outline the basic features and structure of the NRC update or upgrade process in Assam.

What is NRC and what is NRC update?

What is NRC? National Register of Citizens (NRC) is the register containing the names of Indian citizens. The NRC was prepared in 1951 after completion of 1951 Census.

What is NRC updation? NRC update means the process of upgrading the NRC of 1951 by enlisting the names of genuine Indian citizens. It will be done as per the provisions of The Citizenship Act, 1955 and The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003. Preserving and upgrading NRC was one of key decisions of the tripartite talk between Govt of India, Govt. of Assam and AASU during signing of Assam Accord. The inclusion of names in updated NRC will be based on the data of 1951 NRC and Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24th March, 1971 and a list of admissible documents of Pre-1971 period (when name is absent in NRC of 1951 and Electoral Roll of 1971).

Process of Updating NRC in Assam:

The process of updating NRC will be completed in 7 steps or stages. The steps are:

1. Legacy Data Publication: During this stage, Legacy Data is made available to the public. The data is provide through NRC Seva Kendras and online. The process started in February, 2015.
2. Distribution of Application Form: During this stage, application form will be distributed. This process starts from last week of April, 2015 and run till May, 2015.
3. Receipt of Application: Filled applications will be received during this stage. It will start from last week of April, 2015 and last till July 31, 2015 August 31, 2015.
4. Field Verification: Verification of applications will be done at field level by authorised personnel. The process will start in June, 2015.
5. Publication of Draft NRC: A draft of updated NRC will be published on October 31, 2015.
6. Receipt & Disposal of Claims & Objections: Objections, claims etc will be entertained during this phase. It will be start from November 1, 2015 and end in January, 2016.
7. Publication of Final NRC: Final, updated NRC will be published on January 31, 2016.

What is Legacy Data?

Legacy Data is the primary set of documents admissible to prove the claim of citizenship for inclusion in the updated NRC for the state of Assam. The documents are 1951 NRC and Pre 1971 Electoral Rolls. In case of the persons whose names don’t appear but the names of their ancestors appear in the Legacy Data, they need to establish linkage with the name or person appearing in the database. This can be done by producing valid documents which contains name of both the ancestor and the applicant.

Important Documents for NRC Update:

The NRC upgrade process would be based on several documents. Details of which are provided below.

Most important documents:

• The NRC of 1951.
• Electoral Rolls up to midnight of March 24, 1971.

The whole process of updating NRC will be based the above two documents, which are collectively called as Legacy Data.

Admissible documents:

In case someone’s name is not found in the Legacy Data, one can submit documents issued before the midnight of March 24, 1971. The admissible documents are:

• Land records including tenancy records.
• Citizenship Certificate issued by competent authority.
• Permanent Residential Certificate issued from outside the State.
• Refugee registration certificate.
• Passport issued by the Government of India.
• LICI insurance policy of relevant period.
• Any license or certificate issued by the any Government authority.
• Document showing service or employment under Government or Public sector undertaking.
• Bank or Post office Accounts.
• Birth certificates issued by the competent authority.
• Educational certificate issued by Boards or Universities.
• Records or processes pertaining to court.

Supporting documents:

The following documents will be used only as supporting one.

• Certificate issued by the Secretary of the Village Panchayat in respect of females from rural areas who have migrated to other areas.
• Certificate issued by Circle Officer in respect of females who have migrated from an urban area after marriage.
• Ration Cards issued before midnight of March 24, 1971.

How to apply?

In order to apply for inclusion of name in the NRC, one must apply in the prescribed application form. According to the action plan, NRC forms will be provided door to door. Forms will also be made available online and at the NRC Seva Kendras (NSK), which were opened across the state to help citizens with the NRC update process.

The head of the family is required to apply for all members of the family. If the head of the family is no more, the descendants can apply. In case of a minor or in case of disabled person, head of the family or legal guardian shall apply. In case of orphanage, homes for mentally or physically handicapped etc, head of the institution shall apply. The filled out form must be accompanied by photocopies of all essential documents and 2.5 x 2.5 cm size photographs (color or black and while) of each member of the family. Original copies of the attached documents will be checked during verification.

NRC forms are to be submitted only at the designated NRC Seva Kendra for the area. The form is to be submitted by a member of the family, whose name is in the application. In some exceptional cases, if any other person submits a form, the NRC Seva Kendra will keep a photo the bearer for record and verification Upon submission, the NSK operator shall check the Form and handover a printout of the scanned copy of submitted Form along with the summary of the submitted documents. The officer in charge of the NRC Seva Kendra (Local Registrar of Citizen Registration) will issue the acknowledgment of receipt.

Note: Forms can also be submitted online. For that, the applicant must register his/her mobile number. D voters or Doubtful voters can also apply. But their names shall finally be included in NRC only after receiving clearance from the Foreigners Tribunals.

NRC Application Form details:

Member Sl. Number – Enter serial numbers 1, 2, 3 etc. Maintain this in first column of every page.
Q. 1a Enter the name of the person. Start with eldest person in the family.
Q. 1b Landline/mobile number.
Q. 2a Relationship to head. Use code from 2a list in the bottom of the page.
Q. 2b Sex. Use 1 for Male and 2 for female.
Q. 2c Marital status. Use code from the 2c list in the bottom of the page.
Q. 3a Date of Birth.
Q. 3b Age. Mention in years only, no need of months or days
Q. 4a Nationality. Write 1 for India. Else mention name of the Country.
Q. 4b Educational qualification. Use code from 4b list in the bottom.
Q. 4c Occupational activity. Use code 4c list from the bottom.
Q. 5 Father – Write Name of Father, Mother – Write Name of Mother, Spouse (if married) – Write Name of husband/wife, Sl. No. – Write the serial number of person in the first column (if applicable).
Q. 6a Present address. Start with house number. If same address for every member, write ‘do’ or ‘same’.
Q. 6b Duration of stay – Years you lived in that address. Calculate upto April 1, 2015.
Q. 7 Permanent address. If same for every member, write do or same.
Q. 8 Place of birth
Photograph column – Paste colour photo of the person (2.5 x 2.5 cm size)

Question 9, 10 and 11 are most important. You need to answer any one of them for each person. If you are able to find the original NRC legacy code of yourself or your father or grandfather, use it. That’s the most genuine document.

Q. 9 Following questions are to be answers by those who have obtained legacy data code (himself/herself or ancestors) of 1951 NRC.

Q. 9a Name of the person with whom linkage claimed.
Q. 9b NRC 1951 legacy data code. Get it online or from NRC seva kendra.
Q. 9c Relationship with the person. Write in words and enter the respective code from list 2a in side A of the application.
Q. 9d Sl. No. of self-attested document of proof from list B

Q. 10 Following questions are to answered by those who have obtained legacy data code (himself/herself or ancestors) based on electoral rolls upto 1971.

Q. 10a Name of person with whom linkage claimed
Q. 10b Legacy data code of Electoral rolls upto March 24, 1971
Q. 10c Relationship with the person. Write in words and enter the respective code from list 2a in side A of the application.
Q. 10d Sl. No of self-attested documentary proof of relationship from list B

Q. 11 Following questions are to be answered by those who have no legacy data code (legacy code of himself/herself or ancestors)

Q. 11a Name of person with whom linkage claimed
Q. 11b Sl no of eligible documents from List A (3 to 16)
Q. 11c Relationship with the person. Write in words and enter the code from list 2a in side A of the application.
Q. 11d Sl. no of self-attested documentary proof of relationship from list B

The following two questions are for residents of Assam and their descendents, who lived outside Assam before March 24, 1971. If you have answered question 9, 10 or 11, you don’t have to answer this one.

Q. 12a Address of residence if the person resided outside Assam before March 24, 1971.
Q. 12b Details of documents for establishing eligibility for inclusion in NRC.

After filling the form, take copies of all required documents and go to your NRC seva kendra. The person going to submit the form must be one of the applicants. That person need to sign in the signature area of side D.

Conclusion:

One of the key goals of NRC update is to identify illegal Bangladeshi migrants living in Assam. But the fact is simply updating the NRC is not enough to identify and deport all of those illegal Bangladeshis living in Assam. Because, many of them acquires proof of citizenship through fraudulent means. Still most of the citizens of Assam welcomes NRC update. Because, it is hoped that revising the National Register of Citizens would end the controversial citizenship issue of Assam once for all.

Resources:

Official website: http://nrcassam.nic.in/
Legacy data search: http://www.nrcassamonline.in/ and http://www.nrcassamonline.net/

Download NRC Application form in English: Click Here
Download NRC Application form in Assamese: Click Here
Download NRC Application form in Bengali: Click Here

Note: If you are using self printed NRC application form, make sure that it is printed on a single A3 paper. Don’t use the standard A4 paper. Because, using four A4 size papers mean there is a chance of mismatch or loss of pages. This is not official, but a suggestion from an experienced person.

How to submit NRC Application Online?

1. Go to this website: http://182.71.179.80:8080/NrcOnline
2. Press the Register First Timer User button.  Provide your name, phone number, email id (optional) and a password. Again press the Register First Timer User button.
3. Generate One time Password (OTP) to confirm your account.
4. Then login to your account. Inside your account select the Online Application Form option.
5. You’ll see the form with various fields. Enter the details of the head of the family. Don’t forget to save and enter details on other tabs.
6. Once you entered the details of one member, add the details of next member by pressing Add Member 2 button on the bottom right corner. Repeat for other members.
7. When all details are entered, press the Submit button at the bottom center of the form.

Note: Read the instruction on the official site carefully. Before submitting your form online, prepare all your documents. You need to upload documents in PDF. For creation of PDF from images, you can use this site http://nrcimagetopdf.in/. Before uploading, documents with multiple pages must be merged into single document.

Update (July 23, 2015): As per the recent rule of Supreme Court of India, names of residents from other states living in Assam can be included in the NRC. But such a person must provide residential proof that are deemed acceptable by the NRC update authority. Last date for submission of NRC application is now August 31, 2015.

Need help? Use the comment form in this page to submit your questions related to the NRC application process.

Check Complete Draft NRC

You can check the complete draft NRC (published on July 30, 2018) from the following page: