Lone state government-appointed officer in NRC directorate shifted out

GUWAHATI: Assam government has transferred its sole appointed officer in the National Register of Citizens (NRC) directorate in Guwahati. Barring the NRC co-ordinator, Chandana Mahanta, deputy secretary of Home and political department who is working with NRC, is attached to the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Biswanath.

A senior official in NRC who does not want to be named told ET, “Barring the NRC coordinator, Mahanta was the only officer from the state government posted in the NRC office. However, now NRC is left with contractual employees only.”

State government recently in an order stated, “For on-going flood relief operations, law and order and other related purposes and in the interest of public service the following officers are temporarily attached to the office of the Deputy Commissioner with immediate effect for a period of two and half months till August 15, 2020 or until further order, whichever is earlier.”


Following the order, as many as six officers are attached to different Deputy Commissioner’s offices. The final NRC list published in August last year had found more than 3.11 crore people eligible to be included in the registry while leaving out over 19 lakh people.

Earlier around 45,000 government officials, 8000 workers on contractual basis and 10, 000 to 15,000 people worked in the NRC process at various levels.