Inner Line Permit for Manipur

Paper: GS II

Topic: Amendment in Constitution, Important Aspects of Governance, transparency, and accountability.

For Prelims: Inner Line Permit (ILP), NRC, Citizenship Amendment Bill (2016),

For Mains: Government Policies and Interventions for Development in various sectors and issues arising out of their Design and Implementation

In News: Citizenship Amendment Bill, passed in the Lok Sabha, it also address concerns in the Northeast by exempting all or part of various states. What are these areas, and what makes Manipur’s case different?

Manipur to be included in the Inner line permit, thereby exempting it from the provisions of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019, Home Minister inform the Parliament.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) states that “Nothing in this section shall apply to tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram or Tripura as included in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution and the area covered under ‘The Inner Line’ notified under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.”

About the Inner Line Permit

• Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the Government of Indiato allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.
• It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
• The document is an effort by the government to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India. This is an offshoot of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which protected Crown’s interest in the tea, oil and elephant trade by prohibiting “British subjects” from entering into these “Protected Areas” (to prevent them from establishing any commercial venture that could rival the Crown’s agents).
• The word “British subjects” was replaced by Citizen of India in 1950.
• Despite the fact that the ILP was originally created by the British to safeguard their commercial interests, it continues to be used in India, officially to protect tribal cultures in northeastern India.
• There are different kinds of ILP’s, one for tourists and others for people who intend to stay for long-term periods, often for employment purposes.
• ILP’s valid for tourism purposes are granted as a matter of routine. 

• Citizens of other States require ILP to visit the protected areas as per the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873.
• Now Manipur will also be protected under ILP.

How does the ILP system work?

• The Inner Line Permit (ILP) systemprevails in Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, and Mizoram. In Nagaland, Dimapur town is not under ILP as of now.
• ILP is a special permit that citizens from other parts of India require to enter the three states. It can be obtained after applying online or physically and specifies dates of travel and areas which the ILP holder can travel to.

What does this exemption mean for beneficiaries under CAB?

• In ILP states, there are already a large number of migrants from other Indian states.
• They live and work there equipped with long-term ILPs, and renew these.
• The question now being asked, therefore, is whether a person who becomes an Indian citizen through CAB can, or cannot, apply for an ILP and work in such states, just like any other Indian citizen.
• Also, multiple restrictions and regulations exist on entry and stay of “outsiders” (Indian citizens from outside that state/area) in areas under the Inner Line system or the Sixth Schedule.
• These existing rules are expected to put the same restrictions on someone who has acquired citizenship through CAB.
• The exemptions appear to imply, however, that no immigrant non-citizens living in these areas can be regularised as an Indian citizen through CAB.
• The exemption means that no Bangladeshi will be allowed to settle in Mizoram and other ILP states under CAB.

So, why has Manipur been an exception to both these kinds of regimes?

• Manipur, like Tripura, was a princely state. When they joined the Indian Union (both in 1949; they became full-fledged states in 1972), they were out of the scheme of the Sixth Schedule.
• Only from 1985, the Sixth Schedule was implemented in Tripura’s tribal areas. When Tripura was given, the Centre had said that even in Manipur it would be extended shortly but it never turned out to be a reality.
• However, in Manipur, the state government had recommended three times for the Sixth Schedule they recommended three times but they did not pursue it properly.

What about Manipur’s tribal areas?

• Manipur has two geographically distinct areas. The valley, which includes Imphal, constitutes roughly 10% of the geographical area but holds around 60% of the state’s population.
• These belong mostly to the dominant Meitei community.
• The remaining 90% is hill areas, home to the other 40% that include a wide range of tribes, including Nagas and Kukis.
• The Centre, while granting statehood, was aware that certain problems could come up for tribals and hence introduced Article 371C.
• But what is Article 371C? It mentions special provisions for Manipur. The President may, by order made with respect to the State of Manipur, provide for the constitution and functions of a committee of the Legislative Assembly of the State consisting of members of that Assembly elected from the Hill Areas of that State, for the modifications to be made in the rules of business of the Government and in the rules of procedure of the Legislative Assembly of the State and for any special responsibility of the Governor in order to secure the proper functioning of such committee.
• It adds, “The Governor shall annually, or whenever so required by the President, make a report to the President regarding the administration of the Hill Areas in the State of Manipur and the executive power of the Union shall extend to the giving of directions to the State as to the administration of the said areas.”
• Powers granted through this provision protect the tribals of Manipur in the Assembly, primarily through the Hill Areas Committee of the Manipur State Legislative Assembly which comprises MLAs from the hill areas of the state.

Are there any other provisions for Manipur?

• The Manipur (Hill Areas) District Council Act, 1971, passed by Parliament, paved the way for the establishment of six Autonomous District Councils in Manipur in 1972.
• However, without the Sixth Schedule in place, these Councils have much lower powers in comparison to ADCs under the Sixth Schedule.
• Last year, the Manipur People Bill, 2018 was passed by the Assembly and awaiting presidential assent, it proposes several regulations on “outsiders” or “non-Manipuri people” in the state.
• The Bill had undergone series of negotiations on defining the “Manipuri” people, after which a consensus was reached in 1951 as the cut-off year.

Why need to bring Manipur under Inner Line Permit?

To protect the influx of the people:

• The Citizen amendment Bill seeks to amend the Citizenship Act, 1955 by seeking to grant citizenship to undocumented and illegal non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.
• As per the Bill, the amendments to the Citizenship Act, 1955, if approved will not apply to the tribal areas of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura is included in the sixth schedule of the Constitution and the States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland that are protected by the Inner Line Permit (ILP).
• This means that the illegal migrants from the six minority communities who will become Indian citizens as per the proposed amendment will not be able to take up jobs, open business or settle down in these areas and will require a permit to enter the States.
• The addition of Manipur to the list of ILP-protected States means that the Bill will only be applicable in some parts of Tripura and Assam.
• There are apprehensions that ‘outsiders’ could settle in these areas impacting the indigenous communities and local tribes.