People with unproven Assam citizenship will have to go where

The people whose citizenship remains unproven in Assam might have "to go to where they have come from", Union minister Thawarchand Gehlot said here on Monday amid growing concerns over the number of exclusions from the final NRC list.

The Social Justice and Empowerment Minister made these comments at a press conference to mark completion of 100 days of the Narendra Modi government in its second term.

He also said the economic situation in the country was not as "frightening" as being projected.

Responding to a query on names of scores of people missing from the final National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Gehlot said, "People who have proved their citizenship will remain in the country. For those whose citizenship remains unproven (in Assam), the Centre is working on it but they have to go to where they have come from".

While 3,11,21,004 people found eligible for inclusion in the NRC list, which was made public last month, 19,06,657 people found themselves excluded, a development which has triggered concerns among various sections.

On the state of economy, the minister said, "In some sectors, like auto, there are reports (of slowdown) but the Union government has clarified there is no economic slowdown. It is evident from statistics of sale and purchase made public by the Centre that there is no such atmosphere of slowdown as is being projected".

As per data, the country's GDP growth, which was at an average of 7.7 per cent during 2014-18, contracted to 5 per cent in the first quarter of the current financial year, the lowest in the last six years.

For its part, the Centre has been assuring that the fundamentals of the economy are strong and that the slowdown is cyclical and temporary in nature.

"The situation is not that frightening. The Centre has taken some financial measures, like the merger of banks and reduction in interest rates, in view of this," he said.

Speaking on jobs data, the minister said the Centre did not have exact figures of unemployment but claimed it had worked to create job opportunities for several crore people.

He said over 17 crore people were provided loans under the PM's MUDRA scheme.

Gehlot listed revocation of provisions of Articles 370 and 35A in Jammu and Kashmir, passing the triple talaq law, launching of Jal Shakti Abhiyan and amendments in the Motor Vehicle Act as some of the important decisions taken in the first 100 days of the Union government.

He said the new Motor Vehicles Act, with steep fines, will help reduce the number of accidents on roads.

On a query on banning liquor to curb road accidents due to drunken driving, he said it was a matter to be dealt with by the states, and added that his ministry had worked to make people aware of alcohol addiction.