Imphal (DIPR): The First Consultative Meeting with the Think Tank (Panel of Experts) was held on Monday at Hotel Imphal. The programme was organised by Manipur State Population Commission.
Inaugurating the Consultative Meet as chief guest of the function, Lenin Singh Hijam, Ld. Advocate General, Manipur said that Government of India, at the time of the Merger, published a White Paper on the Indian States in 1950.
He said that it was clearly mentioned in the White Paper about the size and the population of Manipur but now, after more than 70 years of neglecting and forgetting the official publication, different groups and some so-called experts have instilled wrong information in books and others which affects the existence of the state and the concern of national security.
He appealed to the panel of experts to diagnose and solve the problems before coming to a conclusion.
Participating in the meeting as functional president, Commissioner (Home), T. Ranjit Singh, IAS said that the Manipur State Population Commission was set up on February 17, 2023.
He said that to look into the issue of illegal immigrants in the state, the Government constituted a Cabinet sub-committee comprising of three Ministers on February 16, 2023.
Verification drive of the illegal immigrants were conducted in the five districts bordering Myanmar. Within a short period, more than two thousand illegal immigrants were identified and steps had been taken up by the Government to provide shelter to these migrants on humanitarian ground, he added.
Regarding the population in the state, he mentioned that there is a sudden increase in the population of certain groups within the last 130 years. According to 1881 census, the Meitei population was about 1 lakh 30 thousand which had increased to 12 lakh 50 thousand in 2011 census, while the Naga population has increased from 60 thousand in 1881 census to 6.04 lakhs in 2011 census. On the other hand, the population of the Kuki -Mizo population which was only 17 thousand in the 1881 census, has risen to 4.48 lakh in the 2011 census, he conveyed.
He expressed his view that the Panel of Experts Meeting organised by Manipur State Population Commission will bring a very good, workable, fruitful and realistic proposal to the Government after thorough discussion.
The programme was also attended by Bobby Waikhom, Secretary to Governor as Special Guest, Dr. Moirangthem Manimohan Meetei, State Population Commissioner and Dr. M.Veto Singh, Secretary, MSPC as dais members. Experts and intellectuals from various fields and departments participated in the consultative sessions.
