Nagaland has decided to start a variant of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) that neighbouring Assam is updating.
On Saturday, Nagaland’s Home Commissioner R. Ramakrishnan issued a notification for setting up of the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) aimed at preparing a master list of all indigenous peoples and checking the issuance of fake indigenous inhabitant certificates.
Designated teams would fan out to cover each village and urban ward from July 10, less than a month before Assam is scheduled to publish the final NRC. To be monitored by the Home Commissioner, Nagaland’s exercise for collecting information on locals and non-locals has a 60-day deadline.
The RIIN, according to Mr. Ramakrishnan, will be prepared after an extensive survey with the help of a village-wise and ward-wise list of indigenous inhabitants based on official records. It will be prepared under the supervision of each district administration.
The State government, officials said, had directed all Deputy Commissioners (DCs) to ensure that the teams were constituted by name within a week of the publication of the notification, make the information about the teams public, and communicate to the village council chairmen, Village Development Board secretaries, ward authorities, tribal hohos, church authorities, and NGOs.
Hoho is the apex body of each Naga group.
The survey teams have been instructed to visit each house and make a list of indigenous inhabitants living there. Each family member will be listed in the village of their original residence and mention will be made of any member living elsewhere.
The format for making the list will mention “permanent residence and present residence” separately. Aadhaar number, wherever available, will also be recorded.
The list will be published in the respective villages and wards which will then be authenticated by village and ward authorities under the supervision of the district administration. Each list will then be signed by the team concerned as also the village and ward authorities.
Deadline for claims, objections
The provisional lists will then be published in the villages and wards and also on the websites of the district and the State government on September 11. Time will be given till October 10 for any claims and objections after the publication of the provisional lists.
The DCs will then settle the claims and objections based on official records and evidence produced. The list will be finalised after giving the claimants an opportunity of being heard, and each indigenous inhabitant will be given a unique identity card.
Opportunity will also be given to the person against whose name an objection has been made, according to the notification.
Officials said the RIIN process will be completed on or before December 10 and copies of the final list will be provided to every village and ward besides being placed at the district and State levels.
“No fresh indigenous inhabitant certificate will be issued after the RIIN is completed except for children born to the State’s indigenous inhabitants who will be issued indigenous certificates along with birth certificates. The RIIN database will be updated accordingly,” said an official involved with the exercise.
The RIIN will also be integrated with the online system for Inner-Line Permit, a temporary document non-inhabitants are required to possess for entry into and travel in Nagaland.
