TMB Report
Imphal: MoS External Affairs and Education DR RK Ranjan has stressed on the need for implementation of National register of Citizens in the state to detect and deport the illegal immigrants.
Speaking exclusively to a local TV channel, MoS Dr RK Ranjan said that implementation of NRC is one of the key and compulsory programs of the Government of India. NRC has already been tested in Assam. Certain students’ bodies of the state recently launched the movement for NRC implementation in view of the seriousness of the current situation, he maiintained.
The Minister further said that in Mizoram, the state government in collaboration with the Ministry of the Home Affairs, Government of India issues Identity cards to the communities settled along the Indo Myanmar border to identify the outsiders.
In Manipur too, the state Government had earlier urged the Ministry of Home Affairs in this regard. Issuing Aadhar cards to the border villagers after strictly verifying their birth certificates is the need of the hour to identify illegal infiltrators. State government is making effort in this regard, Ranjan maintained.
Ranjan said, after having merged into the Indian Union in 1949, the first population census was held in 1951. The census reports is still available. State government must have one copy of the 1951 census report. In every movement on Foreigner issue, 1951 was the base year of the agreements signed between the students’ organization and the then governor to detect illegal immigrants. The movement of the students’ bodies to implement NRC is reasonable and commendable in view of unnatural population growth and demographical imbalance in certain hills districts of the state. State Authority should take it seriously, Ranjan said exuding confidence that the government will implement NRC based on the time frame work as adopted in the past.
“Being a Manipuri, I also strongly feel the need for implementation of NRC to detect illegal immigrants and deport them. I appreciate the approach of the students for NRC updating” Ranjan maintained.
Ranjan said that normally, persons between the age group of 0-10 years of age dominate the population growth in the census data. However, persons between the age group of 15-45 years of age dominate the population in the state, which clearly shows that such unnatural population growth is migrated from somewhere. The present government led by Chief Minister N Biren is facing the problem of illegal influx of migrants as the previous government was insensitive to the sudden rise of population growth in 1960s and 1970s. State Authority in consultation with Ministry of Home Affairs is bound to issue Identity cards to the communities settled in Border areas as done in Mizoram.
“CM Biren once told me that he already approached Home Ministry to issue Identity cards to the bor-
der villagers. I hope this will come up soon. Issuance of I cards will be quite helpful in maintianing
peaceful co-existence of the indigenous communities. Indigenous people love the land while newly mi-
grated people have no sense of love for the land and they involved in many unwanted acts such forest
fire, Poppy cultivation and drug smuggling”, the Minister added.
