Post training row, NPR work on hold

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, March 12

Days after training for National Population Register (NPR) started, the state government on Thursday issued a notification, stating that the decision on the NPR would be taken later on and no action be taken on it at present.

The office of Director, Census Operations, had started the exercise despite the Punjab Government having passed a resolution against the NPR on January 17.

After The Tribune reported on March 6 that despite the Assembly resolution, training in NPR updation was started on March 4, the state government had claimed that there was no such training.

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After The Tribune reported on March 6 that despite the Assembly resolution, training in NPR updation was started on March 4, the state government had claimed that there was no such move.

Now, in a copy of notification to the Director, Census Operations, all commissioners of divisions, commissioners of Municipal Corporations (MCs), DCs, ADCs, SDMs and all assistant commissioners of the MCs in the state, the state government has conveyed that the government has decided to conduct the first phase of Census, 2021— Houselisting and Housing Census only — from May 15 to June 29. The decision on the NPR will be taken later on.

Many government officials, who have completed the training in Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Hoshiarpur, Fazilka and Bathinda, were provided an NPR instruction book in Punjabi by resource persons from the office of Census Operations.

There are 23 questionnaires in the book, including two main sticking points of the date and place of birth of an individual’s parents. During this training, the participants were also trained how to run the NPR app.

As there was no written instruction to the officials participating in the training from the state government, the officials got the training from the resource persons of the Director, Census Operations.