NEW DELHI: The cut-off date for the nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) could be pre-1971, Home Ministry sources told this paper on Thursday.
The cut-off date for the NRC exercise carried out in Assam was March 24, 1971.
In the enumeration that ended on July 31, all those who could not produce documents to show they entered Assam before that date were left out of the NRC.
Indication of a pre-1971 cut-off date came a day after Home Ministry Amit Shah announced in the Rajya Sabha that the NRC process would be carried out nationwide.
He also revealed the exercise would be repeated in Assam when it is carried out across the country.
Under Article 6 of the Constitution, the cut-off date for migration to India from Pakistan is July 19, 1948 whereas it is March 24, 1971 for Assam, which borders Bangladesh.
The National Population Register could be the basis of NRC data, sources said.