District authorities in Mizoram have successfully registered biometric details for nearly 80 percent of the more than 30,000 refugees from Myanmar who are currently seeking shelter in the state. Officials from the home department provided this significant update on Sunday, highlighting the progress of a campaign launched last year.
State-Wide Enrolment Progress
As of the latest data recorded on Friday, the official count of Myanmar refugees in Mizoram stands at 30,438 individuals. Out of this total, biometric enrolment has been completed for 24,191 people, which translates to a completion rate of 79.41 percent.
The enrolment drive, which began in late July of the previous year, has been carried out across all eleven districts of the state. Despite facing hurdles such as technical issues and heavy monsoon rains that slowed the process, the campaign has seen substantial advancement.
District-Wise Breakdown and Achievements
Three districts—Aizawl, Lunglei, and Serchhip—have achieved 100 percent completion for Myanmar refugees. The biometric process for refugees from Bangladesh in these districts has also been fully concluded.
Other districts are close to finishing the task:
- Khawzawl district in the northeast has completed 94.19% of enrolments.
- Kolasib district, bordering Assam, has reached 93.55%.
- Mamit district, on the Tripura-Bangladesh border, has completed 90.58%.
Champhai district, which hosts the single largest group of Myanmar refugees at 13,098 people, has so far enrolled 79.31% of them.
Areas Lagging Behind
Lawngtlai district presents a more challenging picture. It shelters the second-largest contingent of Myanmar refugees and the highest number of refugees from Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts. However, its enrolment rate for Myanmar nationals is only 53.33 percent.
Furthermore, the district, which is home to 2,042 refugees from Bangladesh, has not yet commenced the biometric registration process for this group. This indicates that significant work remains in Lawngtlai to bring it in line with the rest of the state.
The systematic biometric enrolment is a critical step by the Mizoram administration to officially document and manage the refugee population that has crossed over due to the ongoing conflict in Myanmar. The high completion rate in most districts underscores the administration's focused efforts on this front.
