Kerala government reiterates stand against NPR; issues fresh notification ahead of Census

The Kerala government has issued a fresh notification to reaffirm that the National Population Register (NPR) will not be implemented in the State under any circumstances. The order comes even as preparations begin for the upcoming national Census.

The gazette notification, issued by the General Administration (Protocol) department on Thursday, reiterates that all activities related to the updation of the NPR in Kerala have remained suspended with effect from December 20, 2019.

According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the notification has been issued to remove any ambiguity amid speculation that the NPR could be conducted along with the Census exercise.

In a statement on Friday, the CMO stated that the government had ordered a complete halt to all procedures connected with the NPR as early as 2019 when the Centre proposed its implementation along with the Census. Subsequently, the Census process itself was stalled nationwide due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

With indications that the Census operations may resume across the country from next year, concerns have resurfaced that NPR-related exercises could be revived as part of the process. Moreover, the Union Budget 2026-27 made allocations for the NPR and Census, triggering further discussions in this regard after a hiatus.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) government has consistently maintained that the NPR will not be implemented in Kerala. The State was also the first in the country to pass a resolution in the Legislative Assembly opposing the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). The State government had also challenged the constitutional validity of the CAA by filing a suit against the Centre in the Supreme Court.