Student bodies, CSOs take NRC demand to Delhi
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, March 17 2023: Seven Manipur-based student bodies, namely MSF, DESAM, KSA, SUK, AIMS, All Naga Students' Association Manipur (ANSAM) and another organisation in collaboration with Manipur Students' Association Delhi (MSAD), World Meitei Council (WMC), United Kakching Students, Delhi, andThadou Students' Association, Delhi organised a joint demonstration in front of Jantar Manta, New Delhi on Friday demanding updating and implementation of National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur.

Interacting with the media in connection with the demonstration, KSA president Sukham Bidyananda said that the people of Manipur have been demanding the government to update and implement NRC based on the available records, with 1951 as the base year since Manipur became part of India on October 15, 1949 .

Stating that the demands are strictly based on the need for small communities in the region and the state to survive, he pointed out that the population growth rate of Manipur has been consistently outnumbering the national rate after its merger with the Union of India.

Moreover, the state has been witnessing unprecedented and unnatural population growth for several decades.

Identifying Illegal immigrants will not be possible without the implementation of NRC, Bidyananda reasoned.

"We are pushing for the demands to protect our land and the indigenous communities from the adverse effects of illegal settlements; to protect and preserve the socio cultural identity of Manipur," he said.

The population growth suddenly shot up beyond imagination, and the growth rate differs between the valley and hills of the state.

Decadal growth rate of 37.4 per cent was recorded in valley compared to 30.22 per cent in the hill in 1951-1961; 35.99 per cent in valley and 40.84 per cent in hill in 1961 -1971; 28.23 per cent in valley and 41.26 per cent in hill in 1971-1981; 27.65 per cent in valley and 32.38 per cent in hill in 1981-1991; 19.04 per cent in valley and 35.47 per cent in hill in 1991-2001; and 15.72 per cent in valley & 38.48 per cent in hill in 2001-2011 .

The high population growth impacts the hills as many 'foreigners' are staying there as share-croppers and it will be difficult to dislodge them later.

It impacts the indigenous hill brethren as well, acknowledged the KSA president.

"We are also worried with the abnormal surge of population in the hill areas and the mushrooming of villages.

A report last year indicated that there is an explosion in the number of new villages in the state, with many more seeking recognition from the government," Bidyananda maintained.

The sharp increase in the decadal growth rate came after the cancellation of the immigration regulation in 1950 by the then chief commissioner, he claimed while presenting a comparative statement of decadal population growth regarding Manipur, India and world.

He said that Manipur recorded 35.04 per cent growth in 1951-1961 against the national growth rate of 21.64 per cent and global rate of 22 per cent.

Growth rates of subsequent decades are Manipur (37.53 per cent), India 24.80 per cent) & global (20.20 per cent) in 1961-1971; Manipur (32.46 per cent), India 24.66 per cent & global (18.50 per cent) in 1971-1981; Manipur (29.29 per cent), India 23.86 per cent) & global (15.20 per cent) in 1981-1991; Manipur (24.86 per cent), India 21.54 per cent) & global (12.60 per cent) in 1991-2001; and Manipur (24.50 per cent), India (17.64 per cent! & global (10.70 per cent) in 2001-2011, he added.

This increase in growth rate cannot be explained by natural birth and can only be attributed to migration from neighbouring countries including Nepal, Myanmar, and Bangladesh and some other states.

All illegal immigrants must be detected through NRC in the general interest of the people of Manipur, he demanded while adding that a memorandum in this regard was also submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah last year.

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