Aizawl: The Mizoram government has initiated its first biometric enrolment drive for refugees from Myanmar, starting in the Serchhip district on Wednesday.
This marks the state’s first formal effort to issue identification documents to displaced Myanmarese nationals residing in its territory.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
According to Vanthangpuia, the nodal officer for the Foreigners Identification Portal & Biometric Enrolment (FIP&BE) in Serchhip, sixteen refugees from the Chanmari locality of Serchhip town were enrolled during the inaugural session. Chanmari was selected for the pilot due to its relatively small refugee population, allowing for a focused, on-the-spot enrolment session.
A full-scale biometric drive is scheduled to begin on August 5. The district currently hosts 647 Myanmarese and 266 Bangladeshi refugees spread across more than 30 villages.
Similar biometric enrolment exercises will commence in Champhai, Saitual, and Lunglei districts starting Thursday, the state government said in a statement. All 11 districts of Mizoram have refugee populations, with Champhai hosting the highest number—13,586 refugees from Myanmar.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
Officials in Champhai confirmed that enrolment teams using the FIP&BE system will begin documenting refugees in the Vengthlang, Kanan Veng, and Dinthar Veng localities of Champhai town.
The state home department estimates that over 37,000 Myanmarese nationals are currently living in Mizoram, although officials note that the figure varies due to ongoing cross-border movement.
Additional Home Secretary H Vanlaldika said the biometric system was developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC). He also mentioned that a similar enrolment process for Bangladeshi nationals residing in the state could be initiated if instructions are received from the central government.