Aizawl, February 23 The Mizoram government has almost completed the biometric enrolment of refugees from Myanmar who have taken shelter across the state, Home Minister K Sapdanga informed the Assembly on Monday.
The minister said that deputy commissioners are currently overseeing the final phase of the process.
"As of February 5, a total of 93 per cent of the biometric enrolment for Myanmar refugees was completed. We aim to complete the remaining work as quickly as possible," he said.
According to the minister, Mizoram currently hosts 38,059 people, including refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs) from neighboring Manipur.
He said the registration process, which involves collecting biometric and demographic details of asylum seekers from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), is also underway and expected to be completed soon.
A senior official of the state home department said that 13 per cent of over 2,300 Bangladeshi nationals have been enrolled to date.
Among foreign nationals sheltered in the state, Myanmar nationals form the bulk, with over 28,000 people staying across all 11 districts.
Asylum seekers from Bangladesh are mainly lodged in Lawngtlai and Serchhip districts, the official said.
Additionally, nearly 7,000 Kuki-Zo people from Manipur displaced by ethnic violence are also sheltered in the state, another official said.
The enrolment drive for refugees from Myanmar and Bangladesh began in late July last year through the 'Foreigners Identification Portal and Biometric Enrolment' system following a directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
The senior official said that district authorities faced impediments such as technical glitches and weak or unavailable internet connectivity in remote villages, particularly in Lawngtlai district.
While it is easier to collect data from refugees living in relief camps, it is difficult to undertake the task of collecting data from those people residing with relatives or friends or in rented houses, he said.
"Although the number of Myanmar refugees keeps changing due to frequent in and out migration, we are trying our best to ensure that no refugee is left. We also hope to complete the process soon," the senior official told