Manipur Assembly Forms Committee To Address Illegal Migration

The Manipur Assembly has established a 12-member committee to investigate illegal migration in the state. This committee, consisting of members from both ruling and opposition parties, is set to present its findings within the next three months.

Ethnic Violence

The committee will be led by Awangbow Newmai, the Minister for Water Resources, Relief, and Disaster Management, and an MLA from the Naga People’s Front (NPF). It includes a range of legislators, reflecting a broad spectrum of political affiliations. Among the members are Letpao Haokip, Minister for Tribal Affairs and Hills, who, along with nine other tribal MLAs, has been boycotting Assembly sessions since the outbreak of ethnic violence in May last year. The committee also features Public Health Engineering Minister L. Susindro Meitei, Education, Law, and Legislative Affairs Minister Basanta Kumar, and Hill Areas Committee Chairman Dinganglung Gangmei.

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Parts Of Committee

Representing the BJP are Ibomcha Singh, Keishing Leishiyo, and Shanti Singh, while Congress is represent by K. Meghachandra Singh, Thokchom Lokeshwar Singh, and Surjakumar Okram. Md. Abdul Nasir from the Janata Dal-United and Shanti Singh from the National People’s Party (NPP) are also part of the committee.

Chief Minister N. Biren Singh,  holds the home portfolio, report to the Assembly that 10,675 illegal immigrants identified in the state over the past five years. He mentioned that a prior committee had already conducted a verification and identification process for illegal Myanmar immigrants in Churachandpur, Chandel, Tengnoupal, Kamjong, and Pherzawl districts. Singh noted that before the ethnic violence erupted on May 3 last year, the committee had detected 2,480 illegal Myanmar immigrants. He also highlighted the Central government’s commitment to completely fence the India-Myanmar border, with 9.214 kilometers of the border already fenced as part of ongoing construction efforts.