Imphal, September 5, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah after the Centre formally deferred the Census-2027 house-listing operations in the state.
The Ministry of Home Affairs issued a Gazette notification on Saturday officially deferring the house-listing operations for Census 2027 in Manipur.
The decision came after the Central government announced on August 31, a day before the scheduled start of the exercise, that the Census would be deferred in Manipur amid continuing protests and demands from various Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) for updation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) before the Census is conducted in the state.
Reacting to the Gazette notification, Khemchand Singh said on X that the deferment reflected the Centre’s attention to the concerns being raised by people in the state.
“A welcome and consequential decision for Manipur. The deferment of the Census, notified through the Gazette today, reflects the Union government’s considered attention to the genuine concerns of our people,” he said.
“My sincere gratitude to PM Narendra Modi ji and Home Minister Amit Shah ji for their leadership and understanding. We remain resolute in safeguarding the legitimate interests of our people and strengthening peace, security and stability in Manipur,” the Chief Minister added.
The Manipur Assembly had unanimously passed a resolution on September 2, the opening day of its Monsoon session, urging the Central government to update the NRC in the state before conducting Census-2027.
The resolution came amid large-scale protests by various CSOs, particularly across the five Imphal Valley districts of Imphal East, Imphal West, Thoubal, Bishnupur and Kakching.
The Campaign for Just and Fair Delimitation (CJFD) and other CSOs have been holding protests across the Imphal Valley since August 17, demanding that the NRC be updated before the Census exercise.
However, the Kuki-Zo Council (KZC), the apex body representing the Kuki-Zo tribal community in Manipur, has strongly opposed the demand for an NRC exercise before the 2027 Census.
KZC spokesperson Ginza Vualzong said there was no constitutional provision for conducting an NRC exercise exclusively in a particular state.
“The NRC is a national exercise. The Assam NRC was undertaken pursuant to the Assam Accord of 1985. Therefore, any attempt to conduct an NRC exclusively in Manipur is not only discriminatory but also unconstitutional,” he said.
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