Why it is in news?

• The first draft of an updated National Register of Citizens (NRC) for the State listed 1.90 crore names out of the 3.29 crore applicants.
• The updated NRC was published at midnight on December 31.
•  Assam is the only State in the country that prepared an NRC in 1951 following the census of that year and has become the first State to get the first draft of its own updated NRC. 

Updated and verified

•  The NRC, 1951, is updated in Assam with the names of applicants whose names appear in NRC, 1951, or any electoral rolls of the State up to midnight of March 24, 1971 and their descendants and all Indian citizens including their children and descendants who have moved to Assam post March 24, 1971. 

Last Date of NRC

• The time frame for the publication of the NRC draft was set by the Supreme Court which has been monitoring the entire process of updating the 1951 NRC in Assam.
• The time frame for publication of the second draft would be decided in accordance with the directive of the Supreme Court, adding that the entire process would be completed in 2018
• The court has fixed February 20 as the next date for the hearing. 

National Register of Citizens of India

• The National Register of Citizens (NRC) contains names of Indian citizens. The NRC was prepared in 1951, after the Census of 1951
• The NRC (1951) and the Electoral Rolls up to the midnight of 24 March 1971 together are collectively called Legacy Data.
• Policy decisions, guidelines and funds for NRC updation are provided by the Central Government of India, but its implementation is done through the State Government machinery under the Registrar General of India^[7] who functions as the Registrar General of Citizen Registration under Rule 15 of Citizenship Rules, 2003 as amended in 2009 and 2010.
• The provisions governing NRC updation in Assam are

1.       The Citizenship Act, 1955

2.       The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity cards) Rules, 2003.

In a Nutshelll

Eligibility criteria for inclusion in NRC

• Persons whose names appear in NRC, 1951
• Persons whose names appear in any of the Electoral Rolls up to 24 March (midnight), 1971
• Descendants of the above-mentioned persons
• Persons who came to Assam on or after 1 January 1966 but before 25 March 1971 and registered themselves in accordance to the rules made by the Central Government with the Foreigners Registration Regional Officer (FRRO) and those who have not been declared as illegal migrants or foreigners by the authority
• Persons who are original inhabitants of Assam and their children & descendants, who are citizens of India (provided the citizenship of such persons is ascertained)
• ‘D’ voters can apply for inclusion of their names in the updated NRC. However, their names will. Be finally included only when the appropriate Foreigner Tribunal declares them as non-foreigners.
• All Indian Citizens including their children and descendants who have moved to Assam post 24 March 1971 would be eligible for inclusion in the updated NRC on adducing satisfactory proof of residence in any part of the country (outside Assam) as on 24 March 1971.
• Persons who can provide any one of the documents issued up to midnight of 24 March 1971 as men 

NRC and Challenges

Source: The indianexpress,TheHindu,Scroll.in