IT News
Imphal, March 28:
Union Minister Ramdas Athawale has urged Union Home Minister Amit Shah to proceed with the delimitation process in Manipur only after implementing the National Register of Citizens (NRC) with 1951 as the base year.
Citing concerns over illegal immigrants, Maheshwar Thounaojam stated that once the delimitation process is conducted, these migrants would be recognized as legal Indian citizens. He highlighted irregularities in Manipur’s 2001 Census report, which raised suspicions regarding an abnormal population increase in certain areas.
Following his appeal, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale assured that he would push for a delay in the delimitation process and convey the matter to Home Minister Amit Shah. He also emphasized the need to attach proper documents verifying legitimate residents before implementing delimitation based on the 2021 Census.
In a video statement, Maheshwar Thounaojam pointed out that under the Delimitation Act, 2002, the process is based on the 2001 Census, which allegedly recorded an abnormally high growth rate in certain districts like Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. The decadal growth rate of Manipur stood at 30.02%, significantly higher than India’s average of 21.50%.
Given concerns over undocumented migrants, he reiterated the need for NRC with the 1951 base year before proceeding with the delimitation process to ensure fairness in electoral representation.
