Objecting to the state cabinet decision to not provide government benefits to families that has more than four children, the Indigenous People’s Association of Kangleipak (IPAK) termed the decision as illogical and that it will give serious threat to indigenous communities whose demographic figure will be reduced to a micro level.
IPAK stated in a release on Sunday that India is the second most populated country in the world and is estimated to be the most populated by the next census report.
In India, the ratio of Meetei population is just 0.09 per cent which can be regarded as a “micro minority community,” IPAK said.
States like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi, the ratio of population in the country is quite high, hence taking up family planning policies for such states is acceptable but it is unreasonable to adopt such policy in Manipur, it stated.
IPAK further said that while the state is facing continuous decrease of ethnic community, illegal immigrants are entering the state unstoppably.
So far, one-third of the total population of the state is shared by non-native and amid this situation, taking the decision that limits families to just four children is unfortunate, it stated.
“The association assumed the decision of the state cabinet as a hidden agenda to the extinct indigenous population of the state,” it asserted.
Taking the consistent decrease of the Meitei population in a serious note, the Federation of Regional Indigenous Societies (FRIENDS) has been taking up various initiatives to preserve indigenous community since 2005.
Later, FRIENDS changed its name to IPAK on September 7, 2014. Since then, as a part of the initiatives, IPAK has been awarding women with the highest number of children, the release stated.
IPAK further stated that the reason cited by the state government of taking the decision as a measure to control population is valid. However, the Meitei community has been following family planning policy from before, it said.
Pointing out that there are many other communities that don't bother much about family planning, IPAK said the state government should focus on such communities. Apart from this, they also draw attention in preventing influx of illegal migrants, it stated.
There is a need to increase the indigenous population, IPAK said, adding that instead of restricting child birth to a certain number, the state government should adopt a family planning policy that concentrates on hiking the number of indigenous people.
