RGI asks Assam govt to down shutters on NRC update; shift office to govt building

GUWAHATI: The Registrar General of India (RGI) has asked the Assam government to down shutters on the National Register of Citizens (NRC) update office and relocate it to a government building after March 31.

The RGI has also rejected an Assam government proposal for additional funds at a rate of Rs 3.22 crore per month beyond March 31 to complete the pending work related to the update of the data and asked the government to optimize manpower utilisation by releasing the contractual employees engaged.

A letter to the Assam government, dated March 23 and signed by joint director of RGI office Jaspal Singh, has also directed the Assam government to take over all the infrastructure and data centre created for the NRC update as government property. The IT and non-equipment supplied to NRC Seva Kendras and circles have be exempted though.

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“The Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved the Revised Cost Estimates of Rs 1602.66 crore upto 31.12.2019 for the scheme of updation of national Register of Citizens NRC), 1951 in the State of Assam with a condition that this will not be revised further before winding up the NRC process by 31.03.2021. No further provision of funds for the expenditure under the scheme is made,” the letter reads.

The letter also mentions that despite repeated insistence of the NRC Coordination Committee in its meetings, the state coordinator for NRC update has not yet issued the rejection slips to those who have been left out of the supplementary list published on August 31 2019. It cites that the state coordinator had himself stated in the July 2, 2020 meeting the rejection slips would be issued by the end of December 2020. However, the rejection slips remained to be issued till date.

“All the activities of NRC updation were to be completed within the approved cost of the scheme by the 31.03.2021 and there is no further provision of funds for the expenditure made under the scheme beyond 31.03.2021. The SCNR has been requested time and again to complete the pending work as per the decision taken in NRC Coordination Committee meetings, approved guidelines/SOPs and the directions of the Hon’ble Supreme Court issued from time to time,” the letter further reads.

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Efforts to contact NRC state coordinator Hitesh Dev Sarma proved futile.

The RGI letter further asked the Assam government to shift the office of the state coordinator, which is presently in a rented accommodation, to shift to state government’s information and technology department building which was proposed before the NRC Coordination Committee by the state coordinator last year.