Manipur Assembly adopts resolutions to establish population commission, implement NRC

CAA and NRC are one of the most important issues for this election as major political parties have been divided into two sides of pro– and anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

The Manipur Assembly has unanimously adopted two private member resolutions to set up a state population commission and implement the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The resolutions were moved by JD(U) legislator Kh Joykishan on Friday, the last day of the budget session of the state assembly.

He claimed that the hill areas of the state saw a population growth of 153.3 per cent between 1971 and 2001, and it mounted to 250.9 per cent during the 2001-2011 period. The valley areas also recorded a population growth of 94.8 per cent from 1971 to 2001 and around 125 per cent from 2001 to 2011, Joykishan stated.

The JD(U) MLA raised his concern over the alleged infiltration of outsiders into Manipur. He claimed that there are restrictions on people from the valley districts for settling in the hills, and the whopping population growth, particularly in the hills, could be attributed to the alleged influx of people from outside.

Manipur shares an international border with Myanmar. Chief Minister N Biren Singh participated in the discussion on the resolutions and said such motions to establish a population commission and implement the NRC in the state would serve the collective interests of all the members of the House.

Meanwhile, several civic bodies demanded an updated NRC with a fixed cut-off base year to identify illegal immigrants in the northeastern state.