Manipur State Population Commission: An antidote
- Part 3 -

Prof RK Narendra Singh *

Ningol Chakkouba Shopping :: A very crowded scene at Ema Keithel in November 2015 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam

Imbalance literacy rate

The Imphal west has highest literacy rate (86.7%) whilst Tamenglong, the lowest (70.4%). The average rate for valley is 81.48% with 89.04% (male) and 74.03% (female), and corresponding figures for hill are 77.32%, 82.64% and 71.72%. The valley has 8.16 percentage points higher than that of hill counterpart. The variation is prominent in male (6.40% points) than in female (2.31% points). The district-wise difference and hill-valley difference are significant indicating heterogeneity literacy rates exist within the state.

Imbalance religion composition

According to Census of India (2011), out of the 2855794 people in Manipur there were 1181876 (41.39%) Hindus, 239836 (8.40%) Muslims, 1179043 (41.29%) Christians, 1527 (.05%) Sikhs, 7084 (.25%) Buddhists, 1692 (.06%) Jains, 233767 (8.19%) Other religions and 10969 (.38%) Religion not stated. In 1951, the respected percentages were 60.13, 6.44, 11.84, .01, .01, .03, 21.55 and no report for Religion not stated. In 2011, Hindu and Christian had the highest religion composition in the state with a same percentage of around 41% each which was followed by Muslim and Other Religions & Persuasions with around 8% each; and remaining religions viz., Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, and Religion not stated had less than 1% each population composition in the state.

Composition of Hindu population is reducing faster than it had in the previous decades, and Hindu, one time inhabiting largest population, is no more majority religion group in Manipur now. As it has lowest decadal growth rate of 18.56% and consequently in very near future (after 2011), it turns to minority. On the contrary, composition of Christian population is growing faster from the last six decades (from 1951 to 2011) and now it is par with Hindu population. In the next decades it is certain that Christian religion becomes the majority religious community in the state as the present decadal growth rate is 59.85%. For the present decade, the composition of Muslim population is third in rank with a decadal growth rate of 25.61%.

The same craft-resist domination is persisted on religion line too and therefore it might be one of the major factors to create the present social disharmony in the state. This is not a healthy sign and call for immediate intervention.

Imbalance caste composition: According to Census of India, there are mainly three groups viz., Scheduled castes (SCs), Scheduled tribes (STs) and all other categories other than SCs and STs, so called General castes including OBCs and allied ones. The question now is whether caste system has significant bearing towards demographic transition in Manipur other than reservation benefits viz., in educations, tax benefits, special government schemes, government employments and political representations.

The caste population composition and its growth are quite disequilibrium demographically since 1951. In 1951 the caste composition in the state for General, ST and SC were 65.01%, 33.62% and 1.35% respectively while in 2011 the corresponding percentages were 55.71, 40.87 and 3.40. This dramatically changing scenario is the manifestation of caste-wise different growth pattern.

For instance, in 1951 the decadal growth rate for General, ST and SC were 37.82 %, 28.21 % and 70.59 respectively while in 2011 the rate were 16.50%, 57.51% and 62.11% respectively. This changing scenario compels to generate craft-resist domination and subsequently creates social conflict, tension and apprehension on caste line. If the present menace is continuing further in very near future the state might witness a social catastrophe.

Government initiatives:

In 1978, erstwhile Demographic Research Centres (DRCs) were renamed as Population Research Centres (PRCs) by the Government of India in a wider approach to study effectively as well as regularly on the phenomenon of population dynamics of every state of the country. There are 18 PRCs in 12 Universities and 6 Institutes of National repute scattered over 17 states of the country. They are carrying out research on various aspects of population stabilization, conduct demographic and socio-demographic survey and study communication aspects of Population and Family Welfare Programme in their respective states.

In fact, PRC is to provide a forum for exchange of ideas and findings between programme administrators and researchers for optimum utilization of resources and also identification of areas where further research may be needed. They are autonomous in their functioning with 100 per cent central assistance in the form of grant-in-aid on a year to year basis. But unfortunately in Manipur there is neither a PRC nor initiative to establish it despite having more urgency than that of the erstwhile states having PRCs as the state facing demographic turmoil.

Need to keep equilibrium of the size, distribution, structure, composition and growth of the population so as to maintain population stabilization, healthy society, better quality of life, sustainable and equitable economic growth, and social harmony, National Population Policy (NPP) 2000 was formulated by the Government India on Feb. 2000.

Nevertheless, in 1997 Andhra Pradesh formulated a very well-articulated Andhra Pradesh Population Policy, well before the NPP 2000. The two big states – Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan announced their population policies just after enactment of NPP 2000 and now, 17 states and UTs have formulated their state population policies. But regrettably the state doesn't formulate till date its own population policy in spite of urgent requirement.

Making a good policy demands a well-elaborated set of means to achieve the goal which is accompanied with sound theoretical basis. Anyhow if the policy is formulation in later course of time, who will monitor and evaluate periodically to achieve the objectives of the policy and then advice to the Government to implement? This is the job of State Population Commission but yet to be constituted in Manipur.

The size, distribution, structure and composition of population of a country/state are the manifestation of the three demographic components – fertility, mortality and migration. Thus, an effective planning of the country/state is very much depending on reliable and consistence demographic inputs of these three components and of its subsidiaries. Keeping these in views, National Population Policy (NPP) 2000 was adopted by the Government India to stabilize the population.

It pursues a policy framework to achieve National Socio-demographic Goals for 2010. The goal consists of 12 specific objectives relating to strategy to achieve a stable population by 2045 in order to become a sustainable, equitable and healthy society. To comply with the instruction under the heading of New Structure of the NPP 2000, National Commission on Population was constituted under the Chairmanship of the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India to achieve the National Socio-demographic Goals for 2010.

Under the same New Structure of the NPP 2000, there is a provision to constitute Commission on Population in all the states and union territories of their own to oversee and review of the implementation of the NPP 2000 in their states and union territories. Again, the Population Management falls in the Concurrent List (item 20-A. Population control and Family Planning) of activities envisaged in the Constitutional framework of India with a higher state responsibility to a great extent.

Besides, in view of the present social, economic and political chaos and instability as well as on the verse of extinction of indigenous people in the state owing to heavy influx of migrants and high demographic imbalance, on the historic day of August 25, 2015, the Govt. of Manipur and the Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS), Manipur signed an agreement that the Government of Manipur shall constitute a Manipur State Population Commission (MSPC) in order to assess the problems and issues of demographic imbalance and other related matters so as to take up measures towards social harmony and peaceful development.

It is also mentioned in the same paragraph of agreement No-3 that a white paper on population influx shall also be brought out by the State Government within one year. Further, the gravity of complexity of the phenomenon of population dynamics of the state, over and above the necessity to continue scientific study to monitor and evaluate the situation by a technical team, so proposed State Population Commission is highly mandatory.

The main function and duty of the Commission is to study constantly various spectrums of population dynamics in the State and recommend the findings with remedial measures from time to time to the Government of Manipur for implementation. To constitute a State Population Commission under the titled of Manipur State Population Commission (MSPC) is therefore fully justify and inevitable one. However, its Terms of Reference should be rectified with the inclusion of new objectives, which can ascribe existing state problems, in addition to the Terms of Reference of National Commission on Population. And MSPC should be an autonomous and advisory body.

To be continued....