Mizoram Achieves Nearly Complete Biometric Registration of Myanmar Refugees
Biometric Enrollment Progress in Mizoram
Representative image (Photo: @feltzuali90375/X)
Aizawl, Aug 4: The biometric enrollment process for Myanmar refugees residing in Mizoram has nearly reached completion, with approximately 99 percent of registrations finalized. This initiative is still ongoing in four out of the eleven districts, with officials citing delays due to concurrent electoral roll revisions and census activities.
According to the home department, as of Monday, seven districts have successfully completed the biometric registration of refugees, including Champhai, which has the highest concentration of refugees in the state. The remaining four districts, which host fewer refugees, are nearing the end of their enrollment efforts.
Initiated in late July of the previous year under the directive of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the biometric enrollment has successfully registered 29,248 out of 29,577 Myanmar refugees currently in Mizoram, achieving a coverage rate of 98.89 percent.
Champhai district, accommodating 12,083 refugees, has finished the enrollment process. Similarly, Lawngtlai district, which houses 6,328 refugees—the second-largest group—has also completed its registration. Aizawl district, with 4,159 refugees, has likewise concluded the biometric process.
Among the districts still conducting the enrollment, Hnahthial has made significant progress, with biometric data collected from 563 out of 622 refugees, translating to a coverage of 90.51 percent.
Officials noted that the pace of the remaining enrollment has slowed as district administrations are also focused on the nationwide Special Intensive Revision of electoral rolls and census-related tasks.
In addition, the biometric registration for all 1,679 refugees from Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts has been completed. This process for Bangladeshi refugees commenced after the majority of Myanmar refugees had been enrolled.
Since March 2021, following the military takeover in Myanmar on February 1, 2021, a significant influx of Myanmar nationals has crossed into Mizoram. Refugees from Bangladesh began arriving in November 2022 due to military actions against the Kuki-Chin National Army (KCNA).
Officials emphasized that the biometric enrollment is part of the government's strategy to create a detailed database of refugees living in Mizoram.