According to the Home Ministry, the Citizenship Act 1955 empowers the Central government to register all citizens and issue national identity cards, adding that the process to issue this document as Indian citizenship proof was decided when the BJP-led NDA came to power in 2014.
Indian citizenship proof: Amid the ongoing row over proof of citizenship, the Narendra Modi government has stated that the Citizenship Act 1955 makes it mandatory to register all Indian citizens and issue a National Identity Card to those are registered.
What did the govt say?
On Tuesday, responding to a query by Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mala Roy in the Lok Sabha about what was considered an acceptable proof of Indian citizenship, Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar told the House that the 2004 amendment in Citizenship Act 1955 empowers the Central government to register all citizens and issue national identity cards, adding that the process to issue this document as Indian citizenship proof was decided when the BJP-led NDA came to power in 2014.
“National Identity Cards can be issued to citizens whose details are recorded in the National Register of Indian Citizens (NRIC) or National Register of Citizens (NRC),” the minister said.
Who is eligible for National ID cards?
According to the minister, only citizens who are registered in the NRC are eligible for National Identity Cards, however, Assam is the only state so far where the exercise has been completed, though the government is yet to publish the final register because the NRC draft published in 2019 has been challenged in court.
Assam government claims that 19 lakh residents out of 3.29 crore applicants have been excluded from the NRC. Notably, the Centre has clarified it will not update the National Population Register (NPR) during Census 2027, which is considered the first step in NRC exercise.
The first NPR was prepared in 2010, and later the data collected in the first phase of the 2011 census. The NPR, last updated in 2015-16, contains information about 119 crore citizens.
Which documents can be used to prove Indian citizenship?
Meanwhile, during a recent hearing in the Bihar electoral rolls case, the Election Commission of India (ECI) argued in the Supreme Court that the Aadhaar card is not considered a valid proof of Indian citizenship, reiterating the Union government’s position on the matter, even though the Aadhaar is one of the most important documents in India, mandatory for availing key public and private services.
As per officials, some of the key documents which can be presented as proof of citizenship include, Voter ID card, Indian passport, and birth certificate.
