NEW DELHI, Dec 27 - The Centre on Thursday extended the deadline for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the sixth time to June 30.
In a notification, the Registrar General of India said the decision has been taken as the exercise to enumerate citizens in the NRC, a list of Assam�s residents, could not be completed within the specified date of December 31.
�The Central Government has considered it necessary and expedient in the public interest to complete the said enumeration in connection with the updating of the NRC, 1951, by the 30th day of June, 2019,� the notification, issued by Registrar General of India Shri Sailesh said.
On December 6, 2013, the government had issued the first notification setting a deadline of three years for completion of the entire NRC process. However, since then, five extensions were given by the government at regular intervals as the exercise has not yet been completed.
�Now, therefore, pursuant to the provisions of sub-rule (3) of rule 4A of the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003 and in supersession of the notification number S.O. 3715(E), dated the 30th July, 2018, except as respects things done or omitted to be done before such supersession, the Registrar General of Citizen Registration, hereby, notifies that the enumeration in connection with the updating of the National Register of Citizens, 1951, in respect of the State of Assam shall be completed within the period ending on the 30th day of June, 2019,� the notification said.
The draft NRC was published on July 30 and included the names of 2.9 crore people out of the total 3.29 crore applications. The draft NRC excluded 40 lakh people.
The extension of the deadline for updating of NRC is significant given that the ruling BJP has been facing lots of flak, particularly from the Hindu Bengali groups, which suspected over 60 per cent of the applicants belonging to the community may have been left out of the draft NRC.
Concurring with the State government�s plea, the Supreme Court on Wednesday extended the deadline for filing of claims and objections with respect to the NRC. The new date for submitting the forms has been extended from December 15 to 31.