| In
Lok Sabha replying to a question by Badruddin Ajmal, Union Minister of State for
Home Affairs M Ramachandran said that these rules have been framed keeping in
view the Citizenship Act, to enable the preparation of NRC in Assam. "Applications
would be invited from all the residents, for collection of specified particulars
relating to each family and individuals, residing in a local area in the State
including the citizenship status based on the National Register of Citizens 1951
and relevant records," the Minister said.
On February 7, Chief Minister
Tarun Gogoi, making an intervention at the Conference of Chief Ministers on Internal
Security, had urged the Centre to adopt 1971 rolls as the base year for preparation
of the National Register of Citizens. Drawing the attention
of the Centre, he underlined the need to include 1971 as the base year. Earlier,
the State Government had written to the Home Ministry calling for review of its
notification. The amended notification issued by the
Home Ministry, proposing 1966 electoral rolls as the cut-off period for update
of the NRC, has left Assam Government to face the wrath of the community. Following
the issue of gazette notification by the Centre, the State Government has sent
a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs seeking a clarification on the mention
of the clause "electoral rolls prior to the year 1971. ##
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