As Census nears, Kerala govt repeats no-National Population Register position

The Kerala government has reiterated that the National Population Register (NPR) will not be implemented in the state “under any circumstances”, issuing a fresh order amid talk that the exercise could be carried out alongside the upcoming Census.

A statement from the Chief Minister’s Office said the government had made it clear that the NPR would not be conducted with the new census process expected to begin next year. The General Administration (Protocol) Department also issued a notification saying that “all activities connected with the updation of the National Population Register in the state stand suspended with effect from December 20, 2019.”

According to the CMO, the state had in 2019 itself ordered a halt to all steps aimed at implementing the NPR along with the census. The census was later postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The government said recent rumours that the NPR might be revived together with the nationwide census once the exercise resumes prompted it to reiterate its position. It said the latest order was issued to assure that the NPR will not be implemented in the state under any circumstances as part of the new census.

The statement also underlined the state’s earlier political stand on related citizenship issues. It noted that the Kerala Assembly was the first in the country to pass a resolution against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The government had also moved the Supreme Court challenging the Centre, citing the unconstitutionality of the CAA.

The clarification comes as preparations gather pace for the long-delayed Census. The decadal headcount, originally due in 2021, had to be deferred because of the pandemic.

As per a recent notification, the houselisting phase of Census of India 2027 will be carried out between April 1 and September 30, 2026, in all states and Union territories, during a 30-day window to be specified by each state and UT. Authorities will also provide “an option for self-enumeration” in the 15 days preceding the door-to-door exercise.

The nationwide enumeration will be conducted in two stages — the houselisting and housing census, followed by population enumeration in February 2027. The upcoming exercise is also set to collect caste data electronically, and, for the first time, will rely on digital data collection through mobile applications used by lakhs of enumerators.

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