Data collection for National Population Register underway: Govt - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

The government on Wednesday said that the work of direct data collection for the National Population Register (NPR) in the coastal villages of eight States and two Union Territories is in progress. The biographical details of about 10 million persons and the biometric details of about 4.3 million persons have been collected so far, stated the government today. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram while presenting the monthly report card of his ministry said: "I wish to draw your attention to, and seek your cooperation and support for, the work on Census 2011 that will begin tomorrow. Census 2011 is the largest exercise of its kind in human history. Our goal is to identify, count, record and issue identity cards to a population that is expected to be about 120 crore. A year-long exercise of training sessions and workshops culminated in a Conference of District Magistrates at New Delhi on March 4, 2010." The data collected will also go into the National Population Register (NPR), the first of its kind in India. Cabinet has approved a sum of Rs.3,539.24 crore for the creation of the National Population Register, Mr. Chidambaram informed. "The Census of India is a massive operation and, in order to complete it successfully, I appeal to every usual resident of India to fully cooperate with the enumerators and other authorities. I appeal to the media to give the widest publicity to the Census of India," Mr. Chidambaram stated. The exercise begins on Thursday (April 1, 2010) by enumerating the President, Pratibha Patil, and the Vice President, Hamid Ansari.