Use Aadhaar database to build population register: Govindacharya tells govt

As Aadhaar is not proof of citizenship but identity, using it with NPR can be useful for population mapping, he says.

The government should consider using the Aadhaar database to build a population register, K N Govindacharya, a former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue, has said in a letter he wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah as nationwide protests continue against a new citizenship law.

Aadhaar numbers of about 1.25 billion citizens can be used to integrate with the last National Population Register data, Govindacharya has suggested in the letter, a copy of which was seen by Business Standard. The "union cabinet has sanctioned Rs 8754.23 crore for census operations and Rs 3941.35 crore for NPR purposes. Data integration will not only