Biren Singh: Govt begins biometric data capture of illegal migrants

Imphal: To address the problem of “illegal immigration” in India, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh announced on 30 July on Twitter to launch a campaign to collect biometric data of illegal immigrants who are currently is in custody in Manipur.
“Considering the seriousness of the issue of ‘illegal immigration’ in India and on the advice of the central government, the Manipur government has initiated a drive to obtain biometric data of the illegal immigrants who are currently in the country,” the chief said. He is in custody in Manipur.
The main objective behind this exercise is to ensure that foreign nationals do not acquire Indian citizenship through any unfair means.
The large-scale influx of illegal immigrants is a serious threat to national security, and the Manipur government is committed to tackling the issue proactively.
Myanmar’s drive to capture biometric illegal immigrants officially began on July 29. Before the commencement, the Manipur Home Department wrote to the Superintendents of Police of all the districts of the state providing necessary instructions and guidelines.
According to Peter Salam, Joint Secretary (Home), the initiative is in response to a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
MHA’s letter (No. 25022/102/2018-F. I, dated 29.05.2023) has ordered to complete the biometric data capture drive by the end of September 2023.
To ensure successful implementation, a training cum hand-holding program was conducted by the Home Department on 26 July 2023 for all District Collectors (DCs) and Superintendents of Police (SPs) involved in the biometric capture process.
Salam stressed that the Superintendents of Police of the districts are requested to start the campaign immediately, aiming to complete it in time by September 2023.
Assisting and guiding the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) team, deployed by the MHA for training and hand-holding, during the biometric capture exercise at the Aliens Detention Center at Sajiva in Imphal East District on July 29. will be available. 2023, from 10:00 A.M.
Additionally, districts requiring additional training and hand-holding are encouraged to assign their respective officers to observe the biometric capturing process at the alien detention facility.