Multipurpose Card, NPR, Digital Census - Modi govt announces new plans


Amit Shah also said that the 2021 census would be the most costly exercise done so fa

New Delhi: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday said that the National Population Register (NPR) was being prepared for the first time in the 2021 census and the exercise would be digital. Amit Shah also mulls the idea of multipurpose card for all citizens.

Informing that the 2021 census would be the most costly exercise done so far, the Home Minister said a total of Rs 12,000 crore was being spent this time.

Census 2021 App

The 2021 census, also the 16th Indian census, will continue till February 2021 and culminate on March 1 midnight, Shah said while laying the foundation stone of Janganana Bhawan here.

The minister said that the census which began in 1865 with a pen and paper will be digital in 2021 census and a mobile app will be used in the exercise, which is the eighth census after independence.

"NPR is being prepared for the first time in the 2021 census. It will help in solving several issues like law and order, gender equality," Shah said.

Appealing to people to participate in the 2021 census with full enthusiasm, he said the exercise is being done in 16 languages to facilitate people in filling their details properly.

Explaining about the Janaganana Bhawan, the minister said it is a seven-floor infrastructure which is being built on a green-building concept with a cost of Rs 44 crore and is expected to be completed by 2021.

Multipurpose Identity Card

The Home Ministeralso proposed the idea of a multipurpose identity card for citizens with all utilities like passport, Aadhaar, driving licence and bank accounts.

“We can have just one card for all utilities like Aadhaar, passport, bank account, driving licence, voter card. This is a potential,” he said. Source: s