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Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam said on Monday that the base year for the NRC in Manipur will be 1951 and the State Government will pursue the matter with the Centre in line with the resolutions adopted by the assembly. He stated this while replying to a question raised by Opposition MLA K. Meghachandra Singh regarding the updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur and the original physical records of the 1951 NRC. He further informed the House that the records of the 1951 NRC are being traced. He stated that the State Government alone cannot implement the NRC without the approval of the Centre. He said that the issue of NRC should not be taken lightly and referred to experience in Assam.

He said the Manipur State Population Commission has been constituted as per the resolution adopted by the House on August 5, 2022.

Over 24,000 Illegal Immigrants Detected

Replying to another question raised by Opposition MLA Th. Lokeshwar Singh regarding the issue of illegal immigrants in the State, the Home Minister informed the House that a total of 24,475 illegal immigrants have been detected in the State so far. Out of these, 6,545 were detected in Kamjong district, 3,560 in Tengnoupal district and 14,370 in Chandel district.

Replying to a supplementary question, he said that some illegal immigrants have been pushed back while some are there and that this process is being carried out through diplomatic channels. He informed the House that the Government had already adopted a plan and that a 12-member committee was constituted on 7th August, 2024, under the chairmanship of former Minister Awangbow Newmai, to detect and identify the influx of illegal immigrants and the unnatural growth of new villages. Govindas said that the Government has also issued an order on the Action Taken Report of the committee.

The Home Minister also said that the State Home Department had constituted an official Executive Committee on March 24, 2023, headed by Commissioner S. Chourasia, with IGP K. Kabib, DCs, SPs, SDOs and SDPOs as members, to carry out verification of illegal immigrants and to assist the Cabinet Sub-Committee constituted for the purpose. He said that the verification drive, which had already started, could not be continued due to the crisis that broke out on May 3, 2023.

Details on Pushbacks and Shelters

He further informed the House that out of the total 24,475 illegal immigrants detected, 14,992 have been pushed back. In Kamjong district, 5,378 out of 6,545 have been pushed back to their country, while the remaining 1,167 have been sheltered in camps opened by the Government in community halls. In Tengnoupal district, only 14 out of 3,560 have been pushed back, while the remaining 3,546 have been strictly instructed to be looked after by the respective Deputy Commissioner after taking their biometric records, so that they cannot move to other places. In Chandel district, 9,600 out of 14,370 illegal immigrants have been pushed back to the Myanmar side, and biometric records of 1,308 out of the remaining 4,770 have been taken. He said that the illegal immigrants are presently kept in temporary shelters.

In Kamjong district, 1,167 immigrants are kept at Namli, Wanglee, Kaka, Zoro, Iko, Skipi, Huimin Thana and Phaikoh. In Tengnoupal district, 3,546 immigrants are sheltering in Sadang village areas along the Indo-Myanmar border. In Chandel district, 4,770 immigrants are kept at Molcham, Gamphajol, Khangtung, L. Nampao, Yaingol, Bongjang, Kheljang, New Lajang and nearby villages. (ANI)