The final NRC list in Assam was published in 2019 and 31.1 million were included in the list. (File)
The data of Assam's National Register of Citizens will be released only after a data security system like Aadhaar is established, the Centre has said, underscoring that this has been mandated by the Supreme Court. Thereafter, the data will be released to the Centre, state and the RGI (Registrar General of India), the government said.
The data of the Assam NRC lists published in 2019 has not yet been officially notified by the Registrar General of India.
On August 13, 2019, the Supreme Court - which is monitoring the Assam NRC process -- directed that an "appropriate regime be enacted on lines similar to the security regime provided for Aadhaar data."
Today, responding to a question of Assam Congress MP Abdul Khaleque in the Lok Sabha, junior home minister Nityanand Rai pointed to the court's order.
"On the directions of the Supreme Court, the supplementary list of inclusions and exclusions have been published on 31st August, 2019," he said.
The Supreme Court, he added, has directed the State Coordinator of NRC, Assam, "to enact an appropriate security regime on lines similar to the security regime provided for Aadhaar data and only thereafter the list shall be made available to the State Government, Central Government and Registrar General of India".
Sources in the NRC directorate have indicated that the authorities have submitted a proposal for creation of an Aadhaar-like regime to the RGI. The project will cost around Rs 18 crore and can be completed in around seven months, sources said.
The final NRC list in Assam, published on August 2019, had found more than 31.1 million people eligible to be included. But it had left out over 1.9 million people, setting off a huge controversy.
Rejection slips are yet to be issued to those excluded - who can move the Foreigners' Tribunal to challenge the decision - and the RGI has not yet notified the NRC as final.