Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN)
Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN)
- The Government of Nagaland has decided to set up a Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN) to prevent fake indigenous inhabitants’ certificates.
- The RIIN will be the master list of all indigenous inhabitants of the state. The RIIN list will be based on “an extensive survey”. It will involve official records of indigenous residents from rural and (urban) wards and would be prepared under the supervision of the district administration.
Unique identity through Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate
- Based on the adjudication and verification, a list of indigenous inhabitants will be finalised and each person will be given a unique ID. The final list or the RIIN will be created and its copies will be placed in all villages and wards. Electronic copies of the list will also be stored in the State Data Centre. A mechanism or electronic and SMS-based authentication will be put in place. All indigenous inhabitants of the state would be issued a barcoded and numbered Indigenous Inhabitant Certificate. The process will be conducted across Nagaland and will be done as part of the online system of Inner Line Permit (ILP), which is already in force in Nagaland.
How will the RIIN be updated?
- Once the RIIN is finalised, no fresh indigenous inhabitant certificates will be issued except to newborn babies born to the indigenous inhabitants of Nagaland. In case anyone is left out of the RIIN, he/she will need to apply to the Home Commissioner who will get the matter verified and take necessary action for updating the RIIN if needed.
The Inner Line Permit (ILP)
- ILP is an official travel document required by Indian citizens residing outside certain “protected” states while entering them. The ILP is issued by the Govt. of India and is obligatory for all those who reside outside the protected states. With the ILP, the government aims to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India. ILP’s origin dates back to the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulations, 1873, which protected the British Crown’s interest in tea, oil and elephant trade. It prohibited “British subjects” or Indians from entering into these protected areas. After Independence, in 1950, the word “British subjects” was replaced by Citizens of India and the focus of the ban on free movement was explained as a bid to protect tribal cultures in northeastern India.
The process of monitoring ILP
- The entire exercise will be monitored by the Commissioner of Nagaland. Also, the state government will designate nodal officers of the rank of a Secretary to the state government. Their role will be to monitor the implementation. However, they will have no say in the adjudication process. The nodal officers will submit monthly reports of their visits and their assessments to a permanent committee set up under the Home Department to monitor the whole exercise.