The fissures driving the NRC demand in Manipur, Pg11

Key Highlights:

• The Union government deferred the 2027 Census in Manipur following a meeting involving Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
• This decision was made in response to demands for implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the population enumeration.
• Meitei and Naga civil society groups advocate for NRC first, citing concerns over demographic changes due to migration from Myanmar.
• The Manipur Assembly adopted resolutions in 2022 and 2024, seeking both NRC and a State Population Commission.
• Kuki-Zo groups oppose a state-specific NRC before the Census, arguing it is premature and a national exercise.

Detailed Insights:

• The primary concerns driving the NRC demand include citizenship, demographic shifts, and the impact of ethnic conflict-induced displacement.
• Population figures from the Census are crucial for future delimitation, which could alter political representation in the Manipur Assembly.
• The demand for NRC predates the May 2023 violence, gaining sharper focus due to influx from Myanmar and the ongoing conflict.
• The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) and the United Naga Council (UNC) jointly submitted a memorandum for NRC in June 2022.
• High population growth rates in hill districts between 1971 and 2011 fueled anxieties about illegal immigration.
• The Manipur State Population Commission was constituted in February 2023 to address demographic concerns.
• The Centre's scrapping of the Free Movement Regime with Myanmar in February 2024 highlighted security and demographic issues.
• Kuki-Zo groups fear an NRC based on an old cut-off date could disenfranchise long-term residents with cross-border ethnic links.
• Manipur's Assembly has 60 seats (40 valley, 20 hills), and the last delimitation was in 1973 based on the 1971 Census.
• A new delimitation could potentially reduce the valley's political advantage, shifting the 40:20 distribution.
• Under Section 14A of the Citizenship Act, 1955, the Centre can conduct a state-specific NRC without a nationwide simultaneous exercise.
• A High-Level Committee on Demographic Change was formed in May to recommend policy measures for demographic shifts.

Key Concepts Involved:

• National Register of Citizens (NRC): An official record of all legal Indian citizens, aimed at identifying illegal immigrants.
• Census: A nationwide survey conducted periodically to collect demographic, social, and economic data of a country's population.
• Delimitation: The process of redrawing boundaries of parliamentary or assembly constituencies to ensure equal representation.
• Free Movement Regime (FMR): A policy allowing people living along the India-Myanmar border to travel up to 16 km into each other's territory without a visa.