Nagaland deputy chief minister Y. Patton has defended the state government’s decision to compile a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIN), asserting that it will help to safeguard the State from outsiders.
Speaking to The Hindu, Y. Patton, who also holds the Home portfolio said: “Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland may take more time; we are consulting all civil society groups, including the NSCN (I-M). It can be delayed by a few months.”
As published in Nagaland on June 6, the state cabinet on February 15, 2019 approved the recommendation of the ILP committee, after which it was decided to compile a register to prevent issuance of indigenous inhabitant certificates to ineligible persons. In a notification dated June 29, the government set December 1, 1963 as the cut-off date.
The deputy chief minister, said there is a rethink on the cut-off date too: there has been a demand from a section that the date be April 28, 1977.
According to the 1977 notification, the indigenous inhabitant certificate should be issued to only those who had settled in Nagaland or had bought a property before 1963. “Some are saying that the cut-off date should be 1963 or 1977, we have not decided anything but are contemplating on the date too. There is nothing wrong in compiling the list,” said Patton.
State chief minister Neiphiu Rio, during a meeting with representatives of the non-Naga communities on July 20, said RIIN would provide protection to genuine citizens who are permanent settlers of Nagaland and non-Nagas will not be harassed during preparation of the list of indigenous citizens. Rio stated that unless a system was put in place to check illegal immigrants, the character of Dimapur, the commercial hub of the state, would not remain the same.
After holding consultations with the tribal hohos and civil society groups, some of which had expressed apprehension about the exercise, the state government constituted a three-member commission headed by former chief secretary Banuo Z. Jamir to study, examine and recommend and advise the state government on implementation of RIIN.
The commission, which would submit its report within three months, has been asked to chalk out modalities for carrying out its work in the matter it deems fit.
The commission would recommend the eligibility criteria to be an indigenous inhabitant, the documents to be acceptable as proof for being an indigenous inhabitant, the manner in which the exercise is to be carried out and any other issue relating to implementation of the RIIN.
On July 17, 2019, a consultative meeting of civil society organisations (CSOs), tribal hohos, NGOs, senior citizens and legislators with State government representatives held at the State Banquet Hall, Kohima unanimously resolved to support and extend cooperation to the State government in implementation of the proposed RIIN.
The meeting had also resolved that the process of enumeration for implementing RIIN would be carried out only after consultations with all stake holders and after the final modalities/guidelines were agreed upon.
After the state government issued notification dated June 29 for creation of RIIN, various sections of civil society and tribal bodies of Nagaland have expressed views, opinions and concerns on a number of matters pertaining to the exercise for RIIN. At two consultative meetings held by the government, several pertinent issues concerning RIIN were also raised.