The Assam government has made arrangements to check names in the final list of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in a few quick steps.
The final list of the NRC, a document touted to be a proof of the Assamese identity, is scheduled to be published on August 31. Ahead of this, the office of the State Coordinator for the National Register of Citizens in Assam has issued a notice on how to check names in the final list.
Those who want to check their status, can do so online by typing their Application Receipt Numbers (ARNs) on the NRC website – www.nrcassam.nic.in. They need to look for the link under the title 'Supplementary List of Inclusions/Exclusions Status', which will be activated from August 31.
People, who were excluded in the draft NRC list published on July 30, 2018, and have submitted claims against the same, can see their status in the supplementary list of inclusion by visiting the designated NRC Seva Kendra (NSK)/office of circle officers/office of deputy commissioners.
The same is valid for those excluded in the Additional Draft Exclusion List published on June 26, 2019, and those who had any objection filed against their inclusion.
Those who were included in the complete draft and not excluded in the Additional Draft Exclusion List, but were called for hearings from July 5, 2019 onwards, can also check their status in the same manner.
What if ARN is lost
In case an applicant has misplaced or lost his/her Application Receipt Number (ARN), which was issued against his/her online application form, he/she can call on the toll-free helpline number: 15107 (within Assam) or 18003453762 (for outside Assam).
They need to provide either the name of the head of the family or the registered phone number during the time of submission of the online application form.
Also read | 89% of people excluded from NRC in Assam suffer from mental torture: Survey
What if one’s name is missing in the final NRC
The Assam government has said it will provide free legal aid to "needy" people, whose names do not figure in the final list. It will make necessary arrangements to provide legal aid to such people through District Legal Services Authorities (DLSA).
For the benefit of those whose names do not appear in the final NRC, appeals can be made under Section 8 of Schedule to the Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.
Individuals, whose names do not figure in the final NRC, can also represent their case before the appellate authority – Foreigners Tribunals (FTs). The Centre has also extended the time limit for filing of appeals from 60 days to 120 days.
Also Read | How Foreigners' Tribunals will decide the fate of people excluded from Assam's NRC
Those left out of the NRC will not be detained "under any circumstances" until the Foreigners Tribunals declare them foreigners, Assam's Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Kumar Sanjay Krishna told PTI.
Noting that under the provisions of the Foreigners' Act, 1946, and Foreigners Tribunal Order, 1964, only FTs are empowered to declare a person a foreigner, he clarified, "Therefore, non-inclusion of a person's name in the NRC does not by itself amount to him/her being declared as foreigner".
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