Imphal: Amid growing public demand to conduct NRC before the census in Manipur, the state home department and Manipur state population commission on Friday started a two-day consultative meeting-cum-seminar on the state’s demographic profile at Classic Grande, Imphal.Inaugurating the event, chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh said he was confident the suggestions and resolutions adopted at the meet would serve public welfare, and stressed that all recommendations must remain within the Constitution of India.The chief minister said ongoing bandhs, blockades and other highway agitations have severely affected the economy of the state and the country, and caused hardship to the public, including transporters and drivers. He appealed to all groups to avoid protest methods that inflict suffering on ordinary people and urged stakeholders to adopt constructive and peaceful means to resolve issues. He also appealed to the public not to resort to agitations that disrupt daily life.He said the state government is ready to support steps that benefit the general public.Home minister Govindas Konthoujam said the seminar was convened to deliberate on concerns including demographic change, illegal immigration and abnormal population growth, and that expert opinions and recommendations would be taken up for further action.He recalled that the Manipur Assembly adopted resolutions in August 2022 on constituting the State Population Commission and implementing the NRC, and that the state again urged the Centre in March 2024.Konthoujam said issues such as demographic profile, population register, census, NRC, citizenship and illegal immigration are often interpreted differently, and that the seminar aimed to build a common understanding through expert deliberations within the constitutional and legal framework.Stressing institutional preparedness for the 2027 census, he said an accurate census would underpin development planning, resource allocation and public policy for the next decade. He added that any future NRC exercise, if permitted by the Government of India, would have to be conducted strictly within the constitutional and legal framework.He also proposed forming a consultative committee of public leaders and stakeholders to continue discussions on demographic change in Manipur and strengthen coordination between the government and the public, and appealed to all sections of society to work together to address the issues.
