Imphal:Manipur home minister Govindas Konthoujam on Monday said the state govt will pursue 1951 as the base year for updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Manipur with the Centre, in accordance with resolutions adopted by the assembly.Konthoujam made the statement in the assembly while responding to a question from 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.While informing the house that the records of the 1951 NRC are being traced, he stated that the state govt alone cannot implement the NRC without the approval of the Government of India. The Manipur State Population Commission has already been constituted in accordance with the resolution passed by the House on August 5, 2022.Konthoujam said the issue of NRC should not be taken lightly. “The NRC has been implemented in Assam, but it could not still be kept in the public domain. The matter has been pending in the court,” he said.He said the Manipur govt has already pursued the central govt to introduce the NRC in the state, and again took up the matter in line with the assembly’s March 1, 2024 resolution. On Sept 2, 2026, the House unanimously reaffirmed its earlier decisions through another resolution. “We need to cautiously move the centre so that it would not fail like that of Assam,” he added.Replying to a separate question from opposition MLA Th Lokeshwar Singh on illegal immigration, Konthoujam told the assembly that 24,475 illegal immigrants have been detected so far — 6,545 in Kamjong district, 3,560 in Tengnoupal district and 14,370 in Chandel district.He said some had been pushed back while others continued to stay in the state, and that the process of sending them back is being carried out through diplomatic channels. He further informed the House that 14,992 of the 24,475 detected illegal immigrants have been pushed back.In Kamjong, 5,378 of 6,545 were pushed back, while 1,167 remain sheltered in government camps in community halls. In Tengnoupal, 14 of 3,560 were pushed back, with the remaining 3,546 placed under the respective Deputy Commissioners’ watch after biometric registration. In Chandel, 9,600 of 14,370 were pushed back to Myanmar, while biometric data of 1,308 of the remaining 4,770 have been recorded.Konthoujam said the immigrants are being 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.He said the govt has directed the respective deputy commissioners to separate the illegal immigrants from the local Indian communities.Konthoujam also said the government had adopted a plan and constituted a 12-member committee, headed by former Minister Awangbow Newmai, on August 7, 2024, to detect illegal immigration and identify the unnatural growth of new villages, and issued an order on the committee’s Action Taken Report.He reminded the House that a Cabinet Sub-Committee was constituted on Feby 16, 2023 under the chairmanship of former tribal affairs minister Letpao Haokip, with former ministers Awangbow Newmai and Th Basanta Kumar Singh as members.He said the state home department 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 assist the Cabinet Sub-Committee. He added that the verification drive, which had already started, could not be continued due to the crisis that broke out in the state on May 3, 2023.
