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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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, 2015August 31, 2015. - Field Verification: Verification of applications will be done at field level by authorised personnel. The process will start in June, 2015.
- Publication of Draft NRC: A draft of updated NRC will be published on October 31, 2015.
- 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.
- 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?
- Go to this website: http://182.71.179.80:8080/NrcOnline
- 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.
- Generate One time Password (OTP) to confirm your account.
- Then login to your account. Inside your account select the Online Application Form option.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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:
Thanks but the problem is that the surname does not sound similar at all. It is entirely different.
@Jane,
1) Yes, submit the NRC form in Jorhat.
2) Surname was ignored in earlier voter lists. That’s why such mistake is common. Check if the surname sounds similar. If yes, you can go ahead with that. But keep some other documents to support your claim during home verification.
3) Submitting legacy data of your paternal grandfather is not going to get you in any trouble. So, you have that option too.
As said earlier my Mother is the head of the family. My Maternal Grandfather legacy data is in Sivasagar, now my mother shifted to Jorhat after marriage. Now i found out that my maternal grandfather surname is wrongly entered.. How should we go about it !
1) Can we fill up the NRC form in Jorhat as we are all setteled here now
2) Will the surname cause any problem as am filling the form online, as we are temporarily out of Assam now
3) I do have my paternal grandfathers legacy data too but i want to fill it showing my mother as linkage so that it looks consistent and systematic
Sir, I do not have legacy data or any pre-1971 documents. Please tell me what kind of court affidavt should I make?
@Maju,
Without a legacy code you need to use the 3rd column of Side C of application. In form field 11d, you can submit your father’s pension order. But for field 11b, documents issued before 1971 are essential. Check if you have anything from 3 to 16 in List A. Without a legacy code or any pre-1971 document, your application will depend on the decision of the field verification team.
in the pension order copy ,it is mentioned clearly that my father has been servicing under Assam Govt. since 1968 at Halflong.is that not a proof of living in Assam since before 1971 ..?
@Ameen,
Do you have PAN cards of your children? Your children can submit legacy data of grandfather and a copy of their PAN card. That’s enough, as there is 1951 legacy code. And why they accepted partial application, excluding some family members. This is wrong. If there are issues, they should have rejected the whole application, so that your family can apply later. Looks like a decision of some over smart guys. Please consult the head of the NRC seva kendra.
@Raj,
No. You can’t use ID card of your uncle. Because you are not a son of your uncle.
Do you have legacy code of your father or grandfather? If you have legacy code of your grandfather, you need to submit just one document with name of your father and grandfather. Not necessarily a pre 1971 document, you can submit a recent one from List B. Same case applies to you. Submit a recent document such as bank pass book, voter list, PAN card etc. But if there is no legacy code, you need to find some pre-1971 documents or get a court affidavit.
@Mahiuddin,
With our experience in IT field, we can confirm that there are issues with the website. Manual submission through NRC seva kendra is much safer that online submission. Because just a little glitch will corrupt all data on their servers. And that’s what you experienced – a glitch during submission of your form.
Our request to all: If possible, submit your application offline. And if it is unavoidable, use a stable Internet connection and Internet Explorer to open the online application. If partial application is submitted, start again. Point is every member of the family must be listed. In case of duplicate applications, let the verification team decide which one to accept.
I have 1951 legacy data of my grandfather. My children were born outside India. They have Indian passport and birth registration issued by Indian embassy. The SVK person didn’t accept the application of my children citing the fact that their documents are issued outside of assam. But they accepted my application along with the rest of the family. What should I do?
Sir, I donot have any documents of my father or grandfather relating to Pre1971. But my own uncles have service id card of 1971 which have my grandfathers name.Will their id card be of any use to me to enter my name in the nrc?
I tried to submit my application online for NRC updation; but I found it complicated. There are three members in my family including myself,namely my wife, my daughter and me. When I filled the online form I was expecting that after entering my data and submission of the online form, as head of the family, perhaps I would be given chance to enter the data of my other family members. Surprisingly, that online form was vanished and issued me a receipt. Now, authority will consider that I am the only member in my family. Actually, soon after clicking the “submit” option a question should appear “whether any other member in your family”. Online submission of NRC updation appears to be not scientific.
@Maju,
Check if his name was listed in 1971 voter list. Chance is less but that would be of great help. Otherwise, you’ll have to submit proof of you father’s residence in Assam. You can submit any document (issued before March 24, 1971) from 3 to 14 of List A. Your father retired in 2007. So, the pension order can’t be used here. If you can’t find any listed documents, you can still submit the form with whatever available you. They might consider your case during the verification process.
@Deepak,
You can expect an Indian company to be that sincere!
So, you grandfather was employed in Indian railways. Did you checked the voter lists? If your grandfather really lived in Assam (1947 to 1971 is a long period), you’ll find his name in the voter list. Did you visited the NRC seva kendra? Did you tried alternative spelling of your grandfather’s name. Did you used his full name? If yes, try without the title. Many old voter lists show only the first name of a person. Also, legacy code is not generated when the voter list is available only in image format.
Note to all: Unable to find the legacy code? Try to search with alternative spellings or without the title.
My ancenstors belong to assam. But I have not found their name in the legacy data. My grandfather was a Railway Employee since 1947 , but when I asked the Railway for my grandfather’s record they said that they donot keep such old records. Plz suggest me what should i do now? I donot have any other documents of my ancestors.
sir, my father is here in Assam since 1967 and he is under govt. service and retired in 2007.But now he does not have legacy data ,only the pension order copy is there.Can it be used as document for nrc updation ?
@Bicky,
You need to confirm a few things first. Did you or your ancestors lived in Assam before 1971. If yes, you need to check the legacy database one more time. If no legacy data code is found, you need to submit some documents (from 3 to 14 of List A in side C of application) issued before 1971.
@Promod,
You need to consult the NRC official in your area. Because they are aware of the fact that old voter lists has many spelling mistakes. Show them some of your documents and the legacy data document. If it is a simple mistake (wrong spelling, missing middle name etc), they will easily accept your father’s legacy data code.
Sir,my father’s name in legacy data and in all my documents are different and in voter list also.Then how can i show my linkage with my father in nrc form pill up.please advise me.
I DID NOT HAVE ANY LEGACY DATA WHAT TO DO???
Thanks “Assam”. You have been of great help. Keep doing the good work !
Sir my problem occured on the uploading of list B document actually I submitted the document by online produce where I made a mistake in uploading which I need to correct now but I got my receipt .what should I Do? Can I resubmit my Form ?
@Krishna,
You need to provide any one of the listed admissible documents. The admissible and supporting documents are for those who don’t have their name in voter lists upto 1971. That means those who are unable to get the legacy code. Supporting document number 15 is for married women only. If you have legacy data code (your or ancestors) you are not required to submit admissible or supporting documents. Get a copy of the legacy data code and submit any one of the listed items from the List B on Side C of the application.
@Zakiya,
That’s how it works. Trying to link with grandfather is the best approach. Let’s see how we enter the details for your father. As it is 1951 NRC, you need to use the first column of Side C (question 9). Enter the name of your grandfather, his legacy code, relationship as father, code 5 for father. Then submit a copy of document from List B showing the name of your father and grandfather. All grandson or grand daughters can use the same code but need to write Grandfather and code 6 in question 9c.
@Jane,
You need to use the same form. Your mother is now head of the family. Start the form with her name. Get legacy code of her father and establish her linkage by providing a document. Then you can use the same legacy code. But you need to submit a document that has name of you and your mother on it. Alternatively you can use the legacy code of your grandfather. Then you need to submit two documents to show the linkage – one showing your father and grandfather together and another showing name of you and your father together. Example: you can use 8 (death certificate) and 3.
I am not getting what to do with the supporting document. Do I need to provide both addmisabl and supporting document ?