New Delhi/Imphal, Aug 31 (IANS) In a significant development, the Union Government on Monday deferred the Census 2027 operations in Manipur, officials said.
A senior official in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that the decision to defer the Census 2027 operations came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah chaired a high-level review meeting in New Delhi on Monday to assess the prevailing situation in Manipur.
The meeting, held at the Ministry of Home Affairs, was attended by the Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan, along with other senior officials.
"The meeting discussed in detail the demand raised by the people of Manipur to defer the Census exercise in the state before the implementation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The meeting agreed to defer the proposed Census exercise 2027 in the state considering the feelings and aspirations of the people of Manipur," the official said.
Following the meeting, the Chief Minister expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders for listening to the voices of the people and fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the state.
He also thanked BJP President Nitin Nabin for his continuous support in fulfilling the wishes of the people of Manipur.
Khemchand Singh also appreciated the efforts of the leaders of 14 civil society organisations (CSOs) and the delegation of BJP MLAs, who had recently campaigned in New Delhi for the implementation of the NRC in Manipur. He said that their regular engagement with central leaders and officials has resulted in Monday's decision.
He also said that calling bandhs and general strikes will not help in pressing demands before the government, noting that such actions would cause more hardship to the common people. Instead, he urged civil society groups to continue dialogue and extend full cooperation to the administration in addressing the state's socio-political challenges.
"The government is for the people and any issues of the state should be consulted with the government for getting a better solution," he said in a statement.
Before leaving for New Delhi on Sunday, the Chief Minister had said that both the Manipur and Union governments are always committed to fulfilling the aspirations and addressing the concerns of the people of the state.
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (JFD) organised massive agitations mainly in the Imphal Valley region from midnight on August 17, demanding updation of the NRC in Manipur before Census-2027. Normal life was badly affected on August 18 and 19 in view of the 48-hour shutdown. Various student and youth organisations, women’s bodies, including the influential ‘Meira Paibi (women torchbearers)', and civil society organisations have supported the shutdown. The Education Department even closed all educational institutions in the state for three days from August 20, citing the “prevailing law and order situation”.
Several district administrations in the Imphal Valley region of Manipur have either deferred or cancelled the training programmes for enumerators and supervisors under Census-2027 amid protests demanding the updation of the NRC. Amid the protests, the Chief Minister had told a student delegation that the issue would be discussed in the ensuing Assembly session beginning September 2.
--IANS
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