Work on national population register in progress: Chidambaram

New Delhi, Mar 2(ANI): Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said that the work of direct data collection for the National Population Register (NPR) in the coastal villages of eight States and two Union Territories is in progress.

Presenting the Home Ministry's report card for the month of February in the national capital, Chidambaram said: "The biographical details of about 85 lakh persons and the biometric details of about 33 lakh persons have been collected so far."

"Cabinet has approved the creation of NPR for coastal areas and issue of identity cards to usual residents," he added.

Talking about the freedom fighters' pension cases, Chidambaram said that 132,000 files have been digitized so far, including 13,500 files that were completed in February 2009.

"The data base of living freedom fighters' pension records has 42,000 records, of which 7,000 were added in the month of February, 2010," Chidambaram said.

Besides, Chidambaram said that 9484 permanent shelters for Tsunami affected people have been constructed so far against a target of 9797 permanent shelters in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

He also said that approval in-principle was given to the Tamil Nadu Government to incur an expenditure of Rs.29.70 crore for augmenting the infrastructure facilities in the Sri Lankan efugee camps in the state. (ANI)