• ‘More consultation required before the implementation process begins’
• ‘Restrict exercise to non-locals who have taken citizenship as on Dec 1, 1963’
DIMAPUR, JULY 9 (MExN): The Naga Students Federation (NSF) today suggested that the Nagaland Government’s exercise on Registry of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) be restricted to non-locals who may have taken citizenship in the villages, including the towns/district headquarters/sub-divisional headquarters of Nagaland with the base year as on December 1, 1963.
A press note from the NSF President, Ninoto Awomi and General Secretary, Liremo R Kikon informed that the federation has been deliberating on the RIIN and felt that the State Government is initiating the present exercise with good intention. “However, there are several underlying questions and practical issues which the federation feels is yet to be addressed before the exercise takes place,” it said.
For the exercise to help in implementing ILP successfully, the exercise in the entire villages of Nagaland should be restricted to the target group as mentioned, the NSF said.
“It is felt that this exercise should not create inconvenience to the general aborigine Nagas of Nagaland. Every village authority has the record of who are aborigine Nagas of Nagaland and who are not,” the NSF said.
“Therefore, the Federation feels that the present exercise can be reduced to check the background of indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland who have come before December 1, 1963 and those who came after December 1, 1963,” it added.
The NSF also stated that “there are other issues of non-Nagas married to Nagas and also orphans adopted and raised in orphanages whose parents are unknown, including non-local orphans adopted by Nagas whose real parents are unknown.”
It urged the Nagaland State Government to reduce the task of present exercise by addressing the issues of indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland who have come before December 1, 1963 and other inhabitants who came after December 1, 1963 “so that proper policies can be framed to deal with the category of inhabitants of Nagaland who came after December 1, 1963.”
It meanwhile reiterated that the implementation of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) be undertaken at the earliest by reducing the present RIIN exercise so that it is carried out strictly for the “target group.” The NSF stated that it is “ever ready to give full support to the State Government.” “However, to carry out the present RIIN exercise, it is felt that the State Government ought to review its policy before implementation as stated above,” it opined.
Finally, the NSF viewed that more consultation is required before the implementation process begins.
The exercise to prepare the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) will start from July 10 and will be completed in 60 days, according to a notification issued by Home Commissioner R Ramakrishnan last week.
The RIIN, according to the Nagaland State Government, is being mooted to prevent issuance of indigenous inhabitant certificates to ineligible persons. Only those persons who names will figure in the RIIN will be issued indigenous inhabitant certificate.
The list will be prepared after an extensive survey of village-wise and ward-wise list of indigenous inhabitants, based on official records, under the supervision of district administration.
Once the process is complete and all genuine indigenous inhabitants are issued certificates and RIIN is notified, all existing indigenous inhabitant certificates issued by any authority will become invalid, according to the government notification.
