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Numbing numbers: on draft NRC

To begin with, the claims of those left out in the NRC must be heard carefully, humanely

At upwards(ऊपर) of four million, the number of those excluded(छोड़ा हुआ/बाहर रखा गया) from the second draft of the National Register of Citizens published on Monday has sparked(चपेट में आ गया/छिड़) great anxiety (चिंता/व्यग्रता)about the legal status of so many individuals. As with the first list published on December 31, 2017, the publication(घोषणा/प्रकाशन) of the final draft before the Supreme Court-mandated(अनिवार्य) and monitored(निगरानी) exercise moves to the next phase of claims and objections wasn’t accompanied(सहित) by major turbulence. And this despite(बावजूद/विरोध से lingering doubts over whether the process was indeed foolproof, or even warranted. Causes(कारण ) for concern(चिंता ) have been aplenty, from the frenetic(उन्मत्त/प्रचंड) pace to meet deadlines in the face of an unrelenting(कठोर/बेरहम) apex court to the omission(चूक/छोड़ देना) in July of 1,50,000 names from the 19 million that had made it to the first draft. Monday’s list again had its share of notable omissions, including(समेत) serving and former legislators(पूर्व विधायकों). Given such a gargantuan(विशाल/बहुत बड़ा) exercise, it is to the credit of the NRC bureaucracy and its 55,000-odd workforce that timelines have been adhered to. But even a skilfully(कुशलतापूर्वक) devised system of digitised mapping of family trees is subject to human interface, subjective bias, and the inherent flaws in the NRC of 1951 and the electoral rolls of 1961 and 1971 that make up the core of the ‘legacy(वसीयत/मृत्यु पत्र) data’.

The state owes it to those now left out, a staggering 40,07,707 persons, to ensure that their claim tocitizenship is exhausted(कमज़ोर/थका) in its procedural(प्रक्रियात्मक ) entirety(संपूर्णता). But it also has a larger(बड़ी) responsibility(ज़िम्मेदारी) — to ensure(सुनिश्चित/आश्वस्त करना) that people who have lived here a long time, or those who know no other home, are not left high and dry in any eventuality(संभावना). On that front, the Central and State governments must step up their assurances that there is no need for panic(भगदड़/आतंक) . While the modalities(तौर-तरीकों/साधन) of a standard operating procedure(प्रक्रिया/कार्यप्रणाली) for claims and objections are being worked out, to be placed before the Supreme Court by mid-August, the window for contestation(मुक़ाबला) could be extended(विस्तृत) by a month beyond September 28. The Union Home Ministry has also tweaked rules to enable applicants to move the Foreigners’ Tribunal, where earlier only the state could haul up a suspected(संदिग्ध) alien(विदेशी) before it. Bigger challenges lie ahead, especially after the final NRC list determines(तय करना/निर्धारित करता है) the precise number of deemed illegal immigrants(आप्रवासियों); the state then has to grapple(पकड़ना/बांधना)with what to do next. How India addresses the fate of those eventually(अंत में) left off the list will ascertain(पता लगाना/सुनिश्चित करना) whether its democracy can lay claim to being humane or not. It is one thing to detain(रोकें/टालना) and deport(निकाल देना/निर्वासित ) illegal immigrants instantly when they cross the border. But when people have been allowed (or they have managed) to be in India for so long, when they have built their lives and become part of local economies and communities, they cannot and must not be rendered (प्रस्तुत करना/सौंपना)state-less on the basis of a list.

Important Vocabulary

1.Anxiety (चिंता/व्यग्रता
Synonyms: angst, apprehension, concern, disquiet, doubt
Antonyms: advantage, belief, blessing, calm, calmness

2.Unrelenting(कठोर/बेरहम)
Synonyms: ceaseless, constant, continual, continuous, endless
Antonyms: broken, ceasing, changeable, completed, ending

3.Rendered (प्रस्तुत करना/सौंपना)
Synonyms: accomplished, concluded, done, effected, carried out

4.Exhausted(कमज़ोर/थका)
Synonyms: dead, disabled, drained, weak, weakened
Antonyms: able, active, energized, firm, strong

5.Panic(भगदड़/आतंक)
Synonyms: alarm, confusion, consternation, dismay, dread
Antonyms: assurance, bravery, calm, calmness, composure

6.Grapple(पकड़ना/बांधना)
Synonyms: confront, contend, cope, deal with, attack
Antonyms: agree, avoid, be immune, cancel, disconnect

7.Deport(निकाल देना/निर्वासित )
Synonyms: dismiss, displace, exile, expatriate, expel
Antonyms:allow, hold, keep, take in, welcome

8.Detain(रोकें/टालना)
Synonyms: apprehend, confine, delay, jail, bust
Antonyms: free, liberate, advance, aid, allow

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