Home Minister Amit Shah holds review meet on Assam NRC ahead of August 31 deadline

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday held a review meeting on issues relate to the final publication of National Register of Citizens in Assam, which is slated for August 31. The review meeting was attended by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Chief Secretary of Assam and other senior government officials.

A major decision taken in the meeting was that the state government would make all necessary arrangements to provide full opportunity of appeal to those whose names do not feature in the final NRC list. Such people will be extended all possible facilities by government authorities.

Indian citizens, whose names do not figure in final NRC, can represent case in front of Foreigner Tribunals, reported news agency ANI.

The initial deadline for publication of final NRC was July 31, but the same was extended by the Supreme Court till August 31.

While extending the deadline, the apex court had rejected a proposal by the Centre and the state government to review people whose name was already in the NRC draft.

The Centre and the state government had demanded the inspection of 20% of people residing in the border districts. The government had raised concerns that lakhs of illegal refugees, in collaboration with the local NRC officials, for their names included in the NRC draft.

The top court has also asked government authorities to maintain Aadhaar-like secrecy with regard to the Assam NRC.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had also asked NRC coordinator Prateek Hajela to not complete the work in haste to meet the initial deadline of July 31. The court had also referred to media reports on disputes with regard to the list, saying such reports are not always wrong. The court had asked Hajela to ensure that there’s no discrepancy in the Assam NRC.