Manipur: EHCM recommends National Register of Citizens (NRC) in state

IMPHAL | August 20, 2018:

On Sunday, a daylong "Discourse on NRC update in Manipur: Problems and prospects" at the state guesthouse which was organised by Ethno Heritage Council Manipur recommended that to save the indigenous people, Manipur government should update the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state

Participants had recommended that the state government should immediately constitute a "Manipur State Population Commission" to plan and formulate policies to check influx.

The discourse, in which civil society organisations and intellectuals participated, decided to table a memorandum of the resolutions to the Centre and the Manipur government.

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It was organised for the deeper understanding of the need for an NRC update in Manipur, find out ways to prevent entry of illegal migrants and protect the people of Manipur.

The president of the heritage council, L. Ratankumar, said illegal immigration is one of the most important issues in Manipur.

"Illegal migrants have started controlling the administration and the economy as elected members. They have established villages and are enjoying all the privileges that are meant for the original settlers of the land. We now have to find out who the illegal migrants are in Manipur and how many. Now, the moment has come to curb influx," Ratankumar said.

"The Centre has to protect the states from the influx. Instead, the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016 was introduced by the Centre in the Lok Sabha in July 2016 to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955, to make Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who left Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan to escape religious persecution, eligible for citizenship in India, particularly in the Northeast."

"A public discussion held on June 8 opposed the bill and urged the authorities to constitute 'Manipur Sate Population Commission' to check illegal migrants from settling in the state," he added.

Cultural activist Ningthouja Lancha was the moderator.

Professor R.K. Narendra, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, spoke on "Exigency of NRC update in Manipur". Economist M. Chinglen talked on "NRC Assam and its implications from Manipur's perspective" and social activist Artax A. Shimaray stressed "Impact of migration to the existence of native people".

Chinglen said, "The word 'indigenous' was never used to describe people of the state; it is referred to the native people of the state. With an increase in the flow of migrants, the identity of Manipur's native people is at stake. It has negative political and economic impact", he said.

Source: The Telegraph

Featured image: The Telegraph