Kerala govt reiterates stance against NPR, issues fresh notification

The Kerala government has issued a notification reiterating that the National Population Register (NPR) will not be implemented in the state under any circumstances as part of the upcoming national census.

The NPR has remained suspended since December 20, 2019, in line with a government notification dated August 24, 2019. The new gazette notification from the General Administration (Protocol) Department refers to the state's 2019 decision to halt all work related to updating the NPR in Kerala. The census exercise was later put on hold nationwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had then said the decision was taken after considering concerns raised following the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and that the state would not cooperate with the NPR.

Amid reports that the census could resume across the country from next year, along with the possibility of the NPR being conducted simultaneously, the LDF government said the fresh directive was issued to restate its clear position that no NPR-related activities will be permitted in the state.

Kerala was the first state to adopt an Assembly resolution opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The state government had also approached the Supreme Court, challenging the constitutionality of the law, the government statement read.