The state government has moved the Registrar General ofIndia (RGI) to introduce the National Population Register (NPR) exercise alsoin Assam. The NPR will help the Government in preparing the policies of variousgovernment schemes in a better manner, govt. source said.

Notably, the NPR exercise is different from thedecennial Census. The NPR is a Register of the "usual residents" of thecountry. It is being prepared at the local (Village/sub-Town), sub-District,District, State and National level under provisions of the Citizenship Act 1955and the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and issue of National IdentityCards) Rules, 2003.

It is mandatory for every usual resident of India toregister in the NPR. A "usual resident" is defined for the purposes of NPR as aperson who has resided in a local area for the past six months or more or aperson who intends to reside in that area for the next six months or more.

According to GAD (General Administration Department)sources, as the NPR will consist of the detailed data of the people of thecountry, this will come in handy while detailing the different welfare schemesof the government especially after the publication of the Census 2021.