NEW DELHI: Amidst strong opposition by some non-BJP ruled states, the Centre on Tuesday made it clear that the disclosure of information in the National Population Register (NPR) exercise is not mandatory but voluntary.
Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy also said the NPR was first initiated by the Congress-led UPA in 2010 and it was a constitutional obligation.
"Disclosure of information in NPR is voluntary only," he told reporters here.
Reddy said since NPR is a constitutional obligation, the state governments should not oppose it.
The ministers also said the central government will keep sensitising the state governments about various aspects of the NPR.
The NPR exercise will be carried out along with the house listing phase of the Census 2021 from April 1 to September 30, 2020.