Nagaland govt forms panel to frame modalities RIIN modalities

The Nagaland government on Saturday constituted a commission to frame the modalities of creating the Register of Indigenous Inhabitants of Nagaland (RIIN), officials said.

The RIIN, a register of all the indigenous inhabitants of the state, is required to prevent issuance of indigenous inhabitant certificates to ineligible persons, officials said.

A notification on setting up of the panel to develop the modalities was issued on Saturday, after the administration held meetings with tribal bodies, civil societies and non-Naga communities of the state.

It was decided at the meetings that the policies and modalities of preparing the RIIN would be framed and made public before the actual enumeration begins.

The notification said the Commission would recommend the eligibility criteria to be an indigenous inhabitant, the documents to be acceptable as proof for being an indigenous inhabitant, the manner in which the exercise is to be carried out and any other issue relating to implementation of the RIIN.

The panel would submit its report within three months.

The Commission would be headed by retired chief secretary Banuo Z Jamir as chairman and T Kiheto Sema and S Chingwang Konyak as members.

Justice (Retd) Zelre Angami will function as the advisor to the Commission. The home commissioner and commissioner Nagaland will be ex-officio members of the panel.

The Nagaland government began the process of preparing the RIIN on July 10.

The RIIN would provide protection to genuine citizens who are permanent settlers of Nagaland and non-Nagas will not be harassed during preparation of the list of indigenous citizens, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio had said.

According to a June 29 government notification, the RIIN will help identify the citizens who settled in Nagaland prior to December 1, 1963, the day it became a full-fledged state.

The state government began the process of preparing the RIIN on July 10.