New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS): The National Register of Citizens (NRC) will be implemented nationwide, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, asserting that no person from any religion need to be afraid of it.
"The NRC exercise is monitored by the Supreme Court. No religion has been targeted or isolated during the NRC exercise," said Shah responding to a query of Congress leader Syed Nasir Hussain. The MP asked whether the NRC provides citizenship to immigrants of six non-Muslim faiths.
Shah said NRC and The Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016, which lapsed on June 3, 2019, are two different issues and both should not be seen through one prism.
Shah said people whose names are missing from the NRC can approach tribunals formed at the tehsil level. The Assam government will provide financial help to those who don't have the money to file pleas, he said. Shah said the government would bear the cost of hiring a lawyer.
The updated final NRC, which validates genuine Indian citizens, has left out over 19 lakh applicants in Assam. Most of these are people who have not produced required documents to prove their claims and have the option of appealing to Foreigners' Tribunals and subsequently approach the courts.
In Assam, the NRC aims to identify illegal immigrants who entered the state and settled after March 25, 1971.
Asserting that normalcy has returned to Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said that not a single civilian was killed in police firing in the valley since the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5.
Replying to Congress leader T. Subbarami Reddy's question in the Rajya Sabha over restoration of normalcy in the valley, Shah reiterated that normalcy has returned in the valley, schools, colleges, shops and markets are open and the law and order situation is extremely normal.
About internet connectivity in the valley, Shah said: "As far as internet is concerned, its restoration will be carried out at an appropriate time on administration inputs. Currently, at 195 places e-connectivity zone has been created".
While Shah was providing a detailed report on the current scenario in the valley, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad countered his statements saying education is in a dismal state in the valley.
"Schools and colleges have been opened, but there is negligible attendance. There is no provision to ensure that students are able to commute from school to their homes safely," he said.
Commenting over Shah's arguments on snapping internet services, Azad said: "There has been threat from Pakistan for several years, there is nothing new about the situation. Then why such draconian measures? How will students continue their education without integral internet services?"
Replying to Azad's query, Shah stressed that the government has to prioritise issues in view of the country's security. "I agree that internet services are a necessity today but when it comes to the national security, the safety of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and our fight against terror, we need to prioritise our necessities, Shah said.