Challenges to Nagaland's RIIN Initiative

What is the issue?

The Nagaland government has initiated a move to compile a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN).
In this context, here is an overview of the challenges that are likely to come up in the process.

What are the likely challenges?

Naga peace talks - The negotiators engaged in the ongoing Naga peace talks could now articulate new and hardened positions.
The talks on the contentious issue of integration of contiguous Naga-inhabited areas (of Assam, Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh) could take pace now.
NSCN(I-M) - The National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) is engaged in peace talks with the government of India since 1997.
The self-styled government of the People’s Republic of Nagalim is the parallel government run by the NSCN(I-M).
This has opposed the compilation of RIIN, saying that all Nagas, wherever they are, were indigenous in their land by virtue of their common history.
So it sees the RIIN process as being contradictory to the inherent rights of the Nagas.

Cut-off date - Since 1977, to be eligible to obtain a certificate of indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland, a person has to fulfil either of the below conditions:

the person must be settled permanently in Nagaland prior to December 1, 1963
his or her parents or legitimate guardians were paying house tax prior to the cut-off date (December 1, 1963)
the applicant, or his/her parents or legitimate guardians, acquired property and a patta (land certificate) prior to this cut-off date

The compilation of RIIN involves the complexities of deciding on the claims of the children of non-Naga fathers as well as non-Naga children adopted by Naga parents.
In this regard, the Nagaland government may choose to go ahead with the above cut-off date.
In such case, all Naga people who have migrated to the State after this day will have to be excluded.
These include migrants from the neighbouring Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh and elsewhere in India.
The public opinion is still divided on compiling RIIN without a consensus on the cut-off date.
ILP - There is a proposal to link RIIN with the ILP (Inner Line Permit) system.
[The ILP is a travel document issued by the government of India to allow a ‘domestic tourist’ to enter Nagaland, and is valid for 30 days.]
The complexity is that unless otherwise officially clarified, the RIIN proposal may require large numbers of non-indigenous inhabitants to obtain an ILP to carry out day-to-day activities.
Notably, most of them are migrated ones from other States and have been carrying out trade, business and other activities for decades, especially in the Dimapur district.
Certificates - There is the limitation of non-issuance of domicile certificates or permanent residence certificates to a large number of non-Naga, non-indigenous inhabitants.
This could also make the RIIN task even more difficult for the Nagaland government.

Source: The Hindu