New Delhi: The Manipur Assembly has unanimously adopted two private member resolutions paving way for a state population commission as well as implementation of 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.
According to news agency PTI, Kh Joykishan claimed that the hill areas of the state witnessed 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 added. The JD(U) MLA also put forth his concerns over the alleged infiltration of outsiders into Manipur.
ALSO READ | Persecuted Minorities From Pakistan Will Now Be Able To Practise Medicine In India, NMC Invites Applications
The MLA cited restrictions on people from the valley districts for settling in the hills and said that the population growth, particularly in the hills, could be attributed to the alleged influx of people from outside.
Manipur shares an international border with Myanmar.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh participated in the discussion on the resolutions. He said that the 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, PTI reported.
This comes as several civic bodies have demanded an updated NRC with a fixed cut-off base year to identify illegal immigrants in the northeastern state.
(With Agency Inputs)