Chapter: IV Manipur: Land and Peoples

Transcription

1 Chapter: IV Manipur: Land and Peoples Introduction: Manipur, once an independent Asiatic state, is situated in India s Northeast region. It has a population of 2.3 millions (0.21 % of India s population) and geographical area of 22,327 Sq. Km (0.7% of India s total area). The state is bound by Cachar and North Cachar districts of Assam on the west, Kohima and Phek districts of Nagaland on the north, and Aizawl district of Mizoram on the south-east. Its entire eastern border is shared with Myanmar. It is also the gateway of India to Southeast Asia through the Moreh Town of Manipur passing through National Highway 39 (Indo Burma Road). Topographically it is divided into centrally situated Imphal valley (Tam), the foot Hills (Loyalam) and the surrounding hill (Ching) districts. The valley constitutes about one-tenth of the total area while the hill consist of the remaining portion. Political Administration: After the contentious merger with India in 1949, it was a single district upto October, 1969 but after the attainment of full-fledged statehood in 1972, it has nine districts, four of them are in the central valley, the rest are bound in the five hill districts. The four districts in the valley are governed by the nine Municipal Council and 18 Nagar Panchayats while the five hill districts are governed by six Autonomous District Councils. Manipur is divided into 60 Assembly Constituencies, 40 are in the valley while 20 are reserved for the tribal s in the hill districts. According to 2001 census, there are 38 subdivisions (24 in the five hills district, 14 in the valley districts), 33 towns and 2391 villages in Manipur including 76 uninhabited villages located in different districts. The concentration of population in the valley was higher during which remains around 67% compare to % in The average 134

2 density of population is 103 but in the district of Tamenglong it is only 25 while in the Imphal West district it is 855. The sex ratio of Manipur is 974. The literacy rate for male is 80.3 and 60.5 for female. Table No 4.1: Basic Statistics of Manipur Districts No of No of Village Sex Density Literacy Rate Sub Inhabited Uninhabited Total Ratio of Pop. Male Female division Bishnupur Thoubal Imphal West , Imphal East Ukhrul Chandel Churachandpur Tamenglong Senapati* Total Source: compiled by Author (2001). * estimated Valleys in Manipur: There are numbers of valley in Manipur. Some of the important valleys (Goshwami 2006) are: Imphal Valley- It is the biggest and most important of all the valleys in the state. It is centrally located and encircled by mountain ranges of all sides. The valley has an alluvial attitude of 790m above Mean Sea Level (MSL). It is having an area of 2,238 square kilometer. The valley is subdivided into two portions as northern half and southern half. The southern part of the valley is dotted with numerous lakes and swamps. Keibul Lamjao (the floating national park), the only home to the Sangai, the brown antlered deer in the world is located in this portion of the valley. 135

3 Khoupham Valley: It is located in the western hills of Manipur, sandwiched between the central plain of Manipur and the plain of Cachar. The valley is called (Gaidinjang) in the local dialect. The distance of the valley is about 88 Km from Imphal vis Bishnupur district. It has an area of about square kilometers. It is surrounded by Khoupham ridges a spur of Phourungba range and has an elevation of about 762 meter above the MSL. Dzuko valley: It is located at the northeastern corner of Manipur near Mao in Senapati District, bordering Nagaland. The name of the valley is derived from the name of the river that flows through the valley called Dzuko. The valley has an approximate area of 2.5 square kilometer with an average height of 2500 MSL. Sajik Valley: It is situated on the southwestern portion of the state in Chandel district. The average area of the valley is one to two kilometer (in different place) in breath and six kilometer in length. It has an average elevation of 900 MSL. The climate of the valley is almost identical with that of the Imphal Valley. Zeilad Valley: It is situated on the southwest part of Tamenglong district of the state. It has an average area of two thousands hectares with an average height of 180 meter above sea level. The small valley includes land between Taijijang (Tai-Meitei, Ji-rest, Jangplace) village and Zeiladjang village. Toward southwest of the valley lies Zeilad lake, which measures about one thousand five hundred square feet. Western Valley: It is situated on the western part of the state bordering Cachar District of Assam. Almost the whole of the western plain is covered by the Jiribam Sub-Division under Imphal East District. Cachar Plain is the westward extension of the Jiribam Plain. The average attitude of the western plains is approximately one hundered meters above the MSL. 136

4 Forest Cover: Prior to British rule in India (1891) there was no system of forest management in the State. In the year 1931, the Forest Department was set up with a separate forest member in the erstwhile Manipur State Darbar. There was considerable improvement in the management of forests with a brief forest policy highlighted under the Darbar Resolution No. 10-A(1932) which envisaged the following types of forests :- State Reserve- which was to be put under strict state protection. Hill Village reserve known as Pawa (¼ mile) Reserve to be maintained around each recognized hill village. Valley Village Reserve for the people residing in the valley but depending on the nearby forests for their requirements. Open Reserve open for commercial and domestic requirements of people of Manipur under permit system. The present forest cover of the state is classified into reserved, protected and unclassified forest covering 17,086 sq. kms which is 76.53% of the total geographical area of the State as against 17,259 sq. kms in There is a net loss of 173 sq. kms in forest cover during the period. The decrease in forest cover is mainly due to the practice of shifting cultivation in all the districts and flowering of bamboo in the districts of Tamenglong, Churachandpur, Chandel and Jiribam sub-division (Government of Manipur 2008). 137

5 Table No 4.2: District Wise Forest Area (Area in sq.kms) SL No District Geog. Area Forest Cover % Very Dense Moderately Dense Open Forest Total Forest 1 Bishnupur Chandel Churachandpur Imphal East Imphal West Senapati Tamenglong Thoubal Ukhrul Total 22, Source: Government of Manipur 2008 Rivers and Lakes: According to the Manipur State Development report revised in 2009, there are three river systems namely, (a) the Barak system (b) the Manipur system (c) the Chindwin system. a) The Barak river and its tributaries -Irang, Makru, Tuivai and Jiri -flow through the northern and western hills of the state, and have a total catchments area of 9,042 sq.km. This forms approximately 40.5 percent of the region. b) The water resources of the central valley include the Manipur River and its tributaries namely, Imphal, Iril, Thoubal, Nambul, Nambol, Khuga, Sekmai, and Chakpikarong, along with Loktak and its associated lakes. These have a total catchments area of 6332 sq. km and cover 28 per cent of the state s total area. c) The Chindwin system consists of a number of small streams draining the eastern slopes of Manipur eastern hills, and has a total catchments area of 6,953 sq. km. This forms approximately 31.1 per cent of the state's total area. The streams in this system are 138

6 Akonglok and its tributaries, Chamu and Chingai, and Yu and its tributaries, Maklong, Tuyangai, Taret Lok, Lokchao, Lilimlok and Tuiyang. There are a number of large and small lakes, Loktak, the largest freshwater lake of the Northeast with a surface area of sq. km, is the most important. Most of the rivers following in the valley are deposited in the Loktak Lake. The Loktak Lake is one of the seven notified lakes of International Importance in the Indian Sub Continent as declared under the Ramsar Convention. Other important lakes are Waithou, Pumlen, Ningthikhong, Leinambi Pat, Sana Pat, Ikop Pat, Kharung Pat, Pumlen, Ngakra Pat and Loushi Pat (Singh 1976). Infrastructure: According to the 11 Finance Commissioned Report, the economic and social infrastructure in Manipur is found fairly low at It was against 100 (national average) in the 10 finance Commissioned Report. Even among the northeastern state, only Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh had indices lower than that of Manipur. At present, new comprehensive infrastructure development schemes such as, Assistance to States for Development of Exports Infrastructure and other activities (ASIDE) has been formed for the North Eastern States. The earlier schemes are merged in the new scheme (Oinam 2005). Power: The development of power in Manipur was the responsibility of the Public Work Department (PWD) till the 70s but later it was handed over to the Electricity Department. In , the per capita consumption of electricity in Manipur was 68 Kwh. But Manipur has a power generation capacity of about 48 mw at the state level. The diesel and micro-hydel projects owned by the state are run as a standby during peak load hours so Manipur is dependent entirely on the share of power allocated from central sector power plants. The gap between Manipur and the all-india average (379 kwh) is widening. 139

7 The state is unable to meet an increasing proportion of its energy requirement each year, and as a result the power deficit in the state has been growing continually over the last six years. This has resulted in load shedding, especially during peak hours (16th Electric Power Survey). It also shows the slow pace of industrialization in the state. Table No 4.3: Energy demand in Manipur Energy Need/Available Energy requirement (MU) Energy available (MU) i. Energy purchased (MU) ii. Free energy from Loktak HE Project (MU0 iii. Energy generated by the state (MU) Deficit in MU (as % of energy requirement) (14.20) (27.81) (30.29) (29.88) (36.60) Source: Institute for Human Development (2009). Table No 4.4: District-Wise use of Energy ( ) District Energy Available Energy sold (MU) % of available for sale (MU)+ energy lost Imphal East Imphal West Thoubal Bishnupur Churachandpur Ukhrul Senapati Tamenglong Chandel Manipur Source: Institute for Human Development (2009). Rural Electrification: Government of Manipur set an ambitious target of 91 per cent coverage of villages (in 1999) but many household were often excluded from the programme because of the 140

8 narrow definition of the village electrification. It defines as A village will be deemed to be electrified if electricity is used in an inhabited locality, within the revenue boundary of the village, for any purpose whatsoever. The socio economic condition of the villagers was also a constraint for the expansion of the project. Table No 4.5: Number of Villages Electrified ( ) Year Inhabited villages Villages electrified % of electrified villages to total village , ,182 2, ,315 1, Source: Government of Manipur (2008). Drinking Water: The drinking water supply in the state is provided under different schemes such as the Rural Water Supply, Urban Water Supply. The Urban Water Supply are provided to the people under two divisions namely Imphal Water Supply and Other Accelerated Urban Water Supply programme while the Rural Water Supply are provided under the Minimum Needs Programme and Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme. The total number of habitations in rural areas in Manipur as on 31 st December, 2004 was 2,873 but only 619 (21.55%) were fully provided with drinking water, 1,359 (47.55%) were under the partially covered and 895 (31.15%) habitants were not covered. Table No 4.6: Drinking Water facility in Manipur Status Total number of % of habitations covered habitations Fully covered habitations Partially covered 1, habitations Not covered habitations Total 2, Source: Government of Manipur

9 Health: The Health system of the State is based upon the Primary Health Care approach with the objective of attainment of "Health for All" and "All for Health". The three tier administrative set up of the Health Services in the State is as follows: The highest level of the organization is the Administrative level. A cabinet Minister heads it and major decisions concerning policies, programmes and proposals are taken at this level. At Directorate level, the department is headed by the Director as the Technical and health Administrator of the state. The District level Health Administration is organized through the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) as the head (Dept of Health, Govt. of Manipur). Table No 4.7: Health Infrastructure in Manipur District Government CHC & Dispensary Bed Available Hospital PHC & P.HSC s Senapati Tamenglong Churachandpur Chandel Ukhrul Imphal (East & West) ,393 Bishnupur Thoubal Total ,290 Source: Government of Manipur (2008) Drug and HIV/AIDS: In Manipur AIDS has emerged as the serious public health concern. It has 0.2 per cent of India's population but contributes about 8 per cent of all HIV cases reported in India. At the end of May 2008, a total of 29,602 HIV positives cases, 4363 AIDS cases were reported of which 625 are registered AIDS victims (MACS 2008). The exact number of the HIV infected persons will be much higher than the reported figures, as many HIV/ AIDS infected persons remain hidden in order to escape the deep hurt and hopelessness that accompany societal rejection. People living with AIDS (PLWA) chose not to 142

10 disclose their status to others, fearing discrimination, physical harm or blame. The AIDS pandemic in Manipur has assumed a new dimension with a large section of people in the productive age group of 21 to 30 beginning to fall prey to the disease. The administration and the health-care providers of Manipur face the twin challenge of grappling with the HIV/AIDS afflicted and preventing further spread of the virus through such risky behaviour as IDU, and arresting the increase in infection through sexual transmission. IDUs form the majority of victims to HIV/AIDS in Manipur, and the northeast in general. Heroin from Myanmar began to appear in Manipur in after which availability rose sharply. The Golden Triangle has been a major center of opium poppy cultivation since at least the 19 th century, but in the last 15 to 20 years the center of production. Heroin trafficking reached a peak after 1990, mirrored by a startling increase in HIV prevalence in the state. Table No 4.8: Epidemiological Analysis of HIV/AIDS in Manipur (Sept, May, 2008) 1. Number of blood samples: Screened Serosurveillance Sentinel Surveillance 64,629 Total Number of Positives , Number of Females Number of AIDS Cases Number of deaths Sero-positivity Rate per 1000 samples screened Source: MACS Education: The literacy rate of Manipur is among the highest in India as well as in Northeast. The literacy has increased from % in 1991 to in The male ratio is % to % while the female increased from to 5.70%. But the Unemployment particularly educated unemployment is a major problem. 143

11 Table No 4.9: District-wise Literacy Rate of Manipur (1991 & 2001) Source: Institute for Human Development (2009). Involuntary unemployment, as recorded by the Employment Exchanges, reached a figure of 6, 40,010 lakhs by the end of July, The District Employment Exchange, Lamphelpat Imphal West records the highest with 209,043. The educated unemployed form a significant part of the total unemployed population in the state. The placement figures indicate that the number of job seekers at Employment Exchanges is increasing year after year whereas job creation is very low. Table No 4.10: Estimated number of educated unemployment in Manipur. Educational Level Matriculate Under-Graduate Graduate & Above Total Educated Source: Institute for Human Development (2009). Connectivity and Road: In the late 50s, a highly ambitious 20-year road development plan was conceived for It envisaged an outer ring road along the border of about 489 miles in length, and an inner ring road in the valley of about 89 miles. The plan provided for a 230-miles long link roads connecting the sub-divisional headquarters with the ring roads. But till 144

12 now it has not turn into reality. There are three national highways in Manipur viz National highway- 39 Numaligarh-Dimapur-Kohima-Imphal-Moreh ( km); (b) National highway 53- Badarpur-Silchar-Jiribam-Imphal (279.5 km) and (c) National Highway150 - Tipaimukh to Jessami via Imphal (523 km). NH 150 was formerly a state highway. The total length of national highways in Manipur is 967 km. out of which only a small part (283 km.) is under the PWD. The state highway includes, Imphal-Sugnu Highway, Tiddim Road Highway and Ukhrul Road Highway. The classification of road is mentioned below:- Table No 4.11: Road by type of Surfaced in Manipur as on Classification of Roads Cement concrete Black top Water Bound Macadam Unsurfaced Total National Highways State Highways Major District Roads Other District Roads , Inter village Roads , , , Source: Government of Manipur (2008). Railways, which are the cheapest form of travel, have only a token presence of 1.5 km in the Jiribam Sub division in Imphal east District. Inland water-ways are practically nonexistent even though at one time the small rivers criss-crossing the valley was used for transporting goods and people by boats. In Churachandpur district, goods are transported from Jiribam to the southernmost subdivision of Tipaimukh mainly on the river Barak. The state is also connected with the rest of India by daily air flights. In-spite of the provision for subsidies on air transportation in the Northeast in general, it remains very costly. Thus, all the development activities of the state have come to depend heavily on road transport facilities. Transport: The Manipur State Transport (MST) was established in August 1945 with a fleet of seven buses, three trucks, and two station wagons. It was converted into Manipur State Road 145

13 Transport Corporation (MSRTC) in March, During the 1970s and 1980s MSRTC was the dominant bus service in the state but it started declining in the 80s. In the late 1980s, several private entrepreneurs started operating passenger and goods services. The State Government has decided to wind up the Corporation because of losses sustained by it over a period of time. Most of the employees are asked to take voluntarily retirement. Presently, the MSRTC exists only in name. Communication: As per the National Telecom Policy 1994 (a) all villages were to have telephone facilities by 2002, (b) STD facilities were to be provided every 10 kms on the national highways, and (c) Public call offices (PCOs) were to be set up for every 500 people in urban areas. However, the performance of the telecom sector in Manipur leaves much to be desired. It has only 3 telegraph office and 55 telephone exchanges in the entire state. The table below shows the latest data of telecommunication facilities in Manipur. Table No 4.12: District wise Telecommunication facilities in Manipur as on District Telegraph Office Telephone Exchange Combine Office Telephone connection Public call office Senapati Tamenglong Churachandpur Chandel Ukhrul Imphal East Imphal West Bishnupur Thoubal Total Source: Government of Manipur (2008). 146

14 Market: The indications of the beginning of exchanging essential commodities of daily use, which was known as barter system could be traced during the reign of Meidingu Thangwai Ningthouba. A number of markets were established during the period of Meidingu Senbi Khagemba ( ) in different places by observing suitable conditions of business transactions relating to respective areas (Baruah and Devi 2004). The markets in earlier day were managed and control by the women so it is called Ima Keithel. Every district has a women Market. It is still present in Manipur with more particularly in the valley. The development of women market can be traced to the system of Lallup-Kaba which is a system of compulsory service to the King. It was based on the assumption that every male between the ages of 17 and 60 must work for 10 days out of 40 days. The system directly or indirectly compelled the women to take active role in maintaining the family. Other than the Ima Keithel, many entrepreneurs, shops and commercial place were established. Table No 4.13: Number of Shops, Commercial Establishment, Hotel and Restaurants as of Year No of Town Shops Commercial Hotel and Total Estd Rest , , , , , ,947 Source: Government of Manipur (2008) Mapping the People: Manipur is a multi ethnic State which lies in the north eastern part of India. The state presents a unique cultural, ethnic, linguistics and religious profile not to be found in any region in India. The State comprises of three major ethnic groups, mainly from the Mongoloid and Tibeto-Burman linguistic group, namely, (1) the Meitei, (2) the Nagas and (3) the Kuki -Chins-Mizo. Besides a small Muslim Manipuri s locally know n as 147

15 Meitei Pangal are settled in Manipur since the reign of King Khagemba ( ) when Muhammad Sanu of the Sylhet was appointed as the religious head (Imam). The Meiteis who are numerically the most predominant community mainly inhabit the valley. Meitei Pangal too, is also mainly found in the Imphal valley. The tribes comprising of Naga and Kuki -Chin-Mizo mainly inhabit the hills. Thus the state of Manipur comprises of the Manipuri consisting of the Meiteis, Meitei Pangal, 33 Scheduled Tribes, and 7 Scheduled Castes. Population: Manipur has a population of 21, 66,788 (2001 census) with a maximum of 4, 44,382 in Imphal west district and minimum of 1, 11,499 in Tamenglong district. Some of the major tribes include; Thadou (24.6 %), Tangkhul (19.7), Kabui (11.1), Paite (6.6), Hmar (5.8), Kacha Naga (5.7), Vaiphui (5.2), Maring (3.1), Anal (2.9), Zou (2.8), Any Mizo tribe (2.0), Kom (2.0) and Simte (1.5). Among the Schedule caste communities, Lois occupy the majority with (86.1%), Patni (5.6), Namasudra (5.5), Yaithibi (0.9), Sutradhar (0.2), Dhupi (0.1) and Muchi (0.1). These communities trace their origin to different parts of the world. While some trace their origin to southern China, to Yunan Province, many others trace it to Myanmar, Thailand and adjoining areas (Dena 1999). From the west, i.e., mainland India, started by the 15 th century. The people who are migrated from the east are locally known as Nongpok Horam and who migrated from the West are Nongchup Horam. 148

16 Table no 1.14: District wise Population (2001 Census) District Area in sq. km. Total % of ST to the total population of the state/district) % of SC to the total population of the state/district Senapati* 3,271 1,56, Tamenglong 4,391 1,11, Churachandpur 4,570 2,27, Ukhrul 4,544 1,40, Chandel 3,313 1,18, Bishnupur 496 2,08, Thoubal 514 3,64, Imphal West 519 4,44, Imphal East 709 3,94, Total 22,327 21,66, *Excluding Mao Maram, Paomata, Purul Subdivision. Source: Institute for Human Development (2009). Migration: Both the internal as well as external migration is prevalent in the region. The push and pull factors have played important roles in the movement of people from rural areas to the urban, hills to the valley and vice versa. External migration in the present time is marked by Mayang s (mainland Indian) businessman settling at different parts of the state. Historically, the trade, commercial relationship, fertility of land and matrimonial alliances of kings has led to the settlement of Manipuri population in Assam (Cachar and Lakhimpur), Tripura, and Bangladesh. Ethnic communities like the Kuki, and Hmar, partly due to bifurcation of political boundaries by the existing political powers and partly due to their nomadic character, are found settled all over the region cutting across districts, states and countries. There are many pockets of Manipuris, specially the Meiteis, Meitei Pangals, Hmars, and Kukis, not only in other parts of the country but also in the neighbouring countries of Myanmar and Bangladesh. Trans-state settlement finds several factors: (i) war related migration, (ii) religious pilgrimage, (iii) driven by economic consideration, (iv) political treaties, and (v) nomadic character of communities. Many Meiteis, for instance, who were taken to former Burma as war convicts during the Burmese occupation of Manipur ( ) have eventually settled in Myanmar. Many 149

17 others who fled towards the west settled at the present Bangladesh in Sylhet, Mymensingh and Comilla districts. Pilgrimage related settlements are found at Nabadwip (West Bengal), Vrindaban and Mathura (Uttar Pradesh) (Oinam 2005). In Sovereign Manipur, the issue of migrant was tackled successfully. Fortunately, the Meitei society was able to assimilate the people coming to Manipur. The case of people coming from the west Nongchup Horam and people coming the east Nongpok Horam was successfully assimilated within the Meite fold. The Muslims who were war captives were offered Meitei women and assigned appropriate Meitei surname. Similar is the case of Brahmins and other who migrated to Manipur. So there was no problem of migrant in Manipur Kingdom. During the British rule, the foreigners were control by Foreigner department. There are two main branches in the work of the department for collecting taxes: (a) foreigners Tax and Grazing Fees and (b) Income Tax and Trading License Fees. The total collection of the Foreigners Department was quite significant. It reached to a tune of Rs. 4, 20,669 (UCM 2005). Table No: 4.15: Fee received annually ( to ) from foreign migrants. Year Receipt Rs. 4, Rs. 4, Rs. 5, Rs. 5, Rs. 5, Rs. 8, Rs. 9,256 Source: UCM (2005). In-spite of all the laws and restriction, non-manipuri migrants used to enter Manipur in large number. These groups of migrant were especially encouraged by the British mostly to control the economy and for the administration. The Bengalis were the privileged group who served in the British government office as clerks, attendants etc. Another group was the business community especially Marwari community. They monopolies all the wholesale market of essential goods, construction materials, clothes etc. The famous Nupi-Lan (women war) of 1939 was because of the artificial shortage of rice created by 150

18 the Marwari along with the British. The women who are mainly from the Ima (mother) market resisted the exportation of rice amidst the armed forces. The women have successfully halted the economic exploitation through export of rice in Manipur. During the Independence of Manipur, after the British left in 1947, the Manipur Naturalization Act 1947 was passed to deal with naturalization of Manipur aliens or foreigners therein. The highest body of the country, Manipur State Darbar was responsible for issuing the certificate of Naturalization. The issue of migration was properly dealt till Manipur was Independent but it was a different case after Manipur was forceful merged within India in Table No: 4.16: Decadal Growth of Population in India and Manipur Year Population in Million Decennial-Growth-Rate (%) India Manipur India Manipur Source: UCM (2005) The flood gate of migrant was opened once Manipur was forcefully merged to India. The exceptional increase in the decadal growth rate in the year ( ) coincides with a remarkable historical event of Manipur- abolition of Foreigners Permit System on 18 th November 1950 (UCM op.cit). The Manipur Naturalization Act 1947 was kept in abeyance. This results in the huge influx of migrants. On, 2nd February 1951, S. Indramani moved a resolution in the advisory council "to revive the passport system in Manipur" so that person from outside Manipur might be allowed to come in with an account and scrutiny". The powerless advisory council could not resolve against the will of the commissioner appointed by Delhi. Interestingly, Foreigners (Protected Area) order, 1958(FPAO-1958) was passed in New-Delhi on 19th August Provision-3 of this order says "No foreigners shall inter into of remain in any protected area except under and accordance with permit issued by the Central Government or any officer authorized 151

19 by the central government in this behalf". But it exempted the subject of Bhutan, Sikkim and National of Nepal. FPAO-1958 allowed free entry of Nepalese into Manipur. That is why unaccounted Nepalese are coming freely in Manipur and settled in many places as contrary only village was allowed to settle in Kanglatombi in The foreign industrialist and tourist who can invest for the growth of Manipur economy are prohibited to enter into Manipur (Rojesh 2008). Table No 4.17: Decade-wise Influx Figure in sex-wise in Manipur ( ) Decade Male Female Total Influx percentage ,341 68,791 1,43, ,790 46,875 96, ,518 69,368 1,38, ,817 81,387 1,60, TOTAL 2,72,466 2,66,421 5,38,887 Source: UCM (2005) In and , it is found that more male migrants entered into Manipur. But in , it is found that almost equal number of male and female migrants entered Manipur. On the contrary, in , the number of female migrants was comparatively higher than that of male migrants. It indicates that the migrants who entered Manipur during the past few decades have brought in their female counterparts and dependants for settlement during the decade Table No: 4.18: Population Growths and Migrants Population during ( Decade Growth- Migrantreceived-1 Birth Total of Age of the % of Rate contributed by 1 & 2 offspring s of Influx Migrants-2 the migrants as on ,43,132 53,717 1,96, ,665 31,377 1,28, ,38,886 40,680 1,79, ,60,204 39,827 2,00, Total 5,38,887 1,65,601 7,04,488 Source: UCM

20 The population of the offsprings of the migrants, whatever number it might be, is really a problem in a small state like Manipur. if the offsprings of the migrants are also counted as migrants or if they are not considered as Manipuris, then the migrants along with their offsprings contributed 7,04,488 i.e % to the total population of Manipur (2001 census). Economy: Agriculture is the main occupation of the people of Manipur so it has an important place in the economy of the state. Agriculture sector contributes a major share to the total state domestic place and provides employment to about percent of the total worker in Manipur. Despite the crucial importance of this primary sector in the state s economy, the irregular and erratic behavior of monsoon accompanied by inadequate irrigation facilities have resulted in several fluctuation in agricultural production. The population below poverty line is lesser in with 17.3 (22.3 in rural and 3.3 in urban) compare to 33.8 (45.0 in rural and 7.7 in urban) in People in the hills practices slash and burn cultivation whereas those in the valley practices wet rice cultivation. The agricultural method and technology that adopted in the valley is fairly developed as compared to the hills. There are three fundamental form of rice cultivation in the valley: (a) Pung-hul or dry seeds cat in well-ploughed dry ground, (b) Pam phel or shoots seeds sown in the well-plough wet land, (c) Ling-thokpa or translation of seeds from the nurseries. The agricultural production in is higher than the previous year s record output especially of cereal crops. The production of rice for Manipur for the year was estimated at 3.89 lakh tones as against 3.86 tonnes in In case of maize, it was 8.27 thousand tonnes in

21 Table No 4.19: Districts wise Area, production and Average Yields of Cereals crops in Manipur ( ) District Rice Maize Area Yields rate Production Area Yields rate Production Senapati Tamenglong Churachandpur Chandel Ukhrul Imphal East Imphal East Bishnupur Thoubal Total Source: Government of Manipur (2008) Structure of Manipur Economy: The structure if economy of Manipur can be presented in terms of the share of primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors and their sub-sectoral components. In primary sector contributed the largest share (40.44 %) with agriculture as its dominant component. Secondary sector was expectedly negligible in Manipur (0.29 %). The contribution of tertiary sector (42.65%) was much higher than at the All-India level (36.45%). The status of the Manipur economy as on is presented in the table below: 154

22 Table No 4.20: Percentage Share and Change in Percentage Share of GDP at current prices (All-India) Source: Government of Manipur (2008) 155

23 Table No 4.21: Distribution of worker by cultivators, Agricultural Labourer, Household Industry and others Workers (2001 Census). District Total Workers (Main + Marginal) Cultivators Agricultural Labourer Household Industry Other Workers Senapati* 71,888 44,766 9,531 3,454 14,137 Tamenglong 50,863 39, ,228 9,410 Churachandpur 99,363 56,107 8,472 7,043 27,241 Chandel 54,545 33,578 3,897 3,525 13,454 Ukhrul 66,515 46,005 1,917 2,620 15,973 Imphal East 1,56,882 31,768 22,371 23,618 79,125 Imphal West 1,78,111 36,094 15,635 23,844 1,02,538 Bishnupur 89,703 25,196 14,107 11,395 39,005 Thoubal 1,77,343 66,854 36,812 20,193 53,484 Manipur 9,45,213 3,79,705 1,13,630 96,920 3,54,958 * Excluding Mao-Maram, Paomata and Purul Sub Division of Senapati District. Source: Government of Manipur 2008). Before the British introduced a new land holding Act, people s associated with land was under a different land holding practices. Ideally the land belonged to King. But in practice, a department called Lourang Shang was established to look into the possession of land by the subjects. At the village level, the headman acted as the King s agent. He looked after the cultivation, and was responsible for collection of tax payable in kind by each cultivator in the village. The distribution of land was directly related to lallup provided to the King. In return, the subject received one paree (appx 2.5 acres) of revenue free land from the state (Oinam op.cit). The British introduced the patta system in Manipur. Presently the Land Holding Act of India is applied to the state of Manipur with special provision in the hills. 156

24 Table No 4.22: Land Holdings in Manipur Category of Land holding and sizes of land (hectare) Land holding Area operated (hectares) Average size of land holding Land holding Area operated (hectares) Average size of land holding Marginal (below ) Small ( ) Semi Medium ( ) Medium ( ) Large (10.0 & negligible Negligible negligible Above) Total Source: Government of Manipur (2008) Land Utilization statistics for the entire state of Manipur is not available because hill areas are not cadastrally surveyed. The plain of Manipur occupies about 2,238 sq.kms which accounts for about 10% of the total geographical area. As per the land utilization statistics of , out of the total geographical area, the reporting area is about 1, 90,446 hectares by the village paper and 2, 23,000 hectares but the Surveyor General of India. 26,900 hectares of land are not available for cultivation. Fallow land covers 200 hectares and other cultivated land excluding the fallow land covers 8,055 hectares which account for about 4.23 % of the total reporting areas. The land use classification of the valley areas of Manipur for the year is presented below. 157

25 Table No 4.23: Land Utilization Statistics for the valley areas of Manipur: Sl No Land use classification Total (areas in hectares) Total Geographical area According to Surveyers General of India According to village paper 2,23,000 1,90,446 2 Land not available for cultivation 26, Barren and uncultivable land Land put to non-agriculture uses 25,960 3 Other cultivated land excluding fallows land 8, Permanent pastures and other grazing land 1, Land under Misc. tree crops and groves (not 5,954 included in the net area sown) 3.3 Cultivable waster land Fallow land Fallow lands other than current fallows Current fallows Net area sown 1,55,287 6 Area sown more than once 10,575 7 Total cropped area (6+7) 1,65,862 Source: Government of Manipur (2008) Traditional Handicraft and Industries: The traditional handicraft and cottage industries of the 19 th century consisted of carpentry, blacksmith, weaving, jewellery, pottery etc. In the year 1881, out of the total industrial population of 3,042, the state had 1163 salt-makers, 410 potters, 326 silk weavers and 110 carpenters. European records narrate of low volume but high quality production. In 1879 the political agent of the then Manipur remarked: The more I see of them the more I am impressed with the excellence of Manipur cotton manufactures, which are all of first rate quality and very cheap, when their weight are considered (Dunn 1886). These workers mainly belong to Lois (schedule caste) community. Lois has a big role in the development of the traditional industries in Manipur. Each Loi village is known for specific traditional industries. For instance, the Sekmai village is known for producing high quality alcoholic liquor; Khurkhul, Leimaram and Phayeng village for the fine quality of silk yarn. Andro, Chairel and Thongjao for pottery. Waikhong for its best quality of salt in the state. Presently, Manipur is facing serious crisis of maintaining its 158

26 middle-scale and small scale industries. Industries like sugar mill, cement factory, food processing, rice mill, oil mill, saw mill, handmade paper, printing, etc are turning out to be sick. The handloom and handicraft industry that serve as a pride of the state is fast declining. Cement, paper, plywood industries could not be successfully developed. The reasin could be poor accessibility and transport system, limited market and produce, lack of technological support to the skill and poor management (Oinam op.cit). Banking: The bank scenario of Manipur has undergone a sea change over the years. There are only 37 schedule commercial banks during the year 1981 but it was double in the year 1991 with 87. As of 31 st March 2007, there are only 77 schedule commercial bank offices in the state. Out of the total number % were in the rural areas, in the semi-urban areas and in the urban areas. The average population per bank office of the state was thousands. The per capita deposits and per capita credits were to the tune of Rs and Rs.2556 respectively. A large section of the population has very little knowledge about the saving facilities provided by modern financial institutions. These institutions are absent in the remote areas fr from the reach of a large section of the population. For them the traditional self help organization locally known as Marup by the Meiteis, are the only institutions providing banking facilities to all the individuals in the state. Social: The state presents a unique cultural, ethnic, linguistics and religious profile not to be found in any region in India. It should be noted that all the different ethnic groups are of the same Mongoloid group, and have very close similarities in their culture and traditional habits. The legend of all tribes including Meiteis claim that they originated somewhere in the north from a cave. The difference came only in later parts of the history after Meiteis were forced to convert to Vaishnavism and the hill inhabitants became Christians. Many of the Meiteis maintained their raditional religion. Among the Naga 159

27 tribes of Manipur, the Tangkhuls were the first to receive Christianity; therefore, they were more educated and better adapted to the modern and western cultures than other tribes. Traditional Semantic rituals resembled very closely. All communities took Yu or rice bear and were meat consumers. Still the Meitei communities of Chakpa, who are classified as Schedule castes in Manipur, make Yu and eat meat. The Meiteis believed in scape-goats to cure illness by freeing a chicken away in the woods just as the Maos and other tribes in the north did. Meitei men wore long hears similar to the Kuki-Chin group in earlier days and still some Meitei Marups. Distribution of Population by Religion: The culture of Manipur is a fine blend of colorful festivals, rich history, vibrant customs, wonderful architecture, delicious cuisines, enchanting music, exciting dance forms and much more. The fun loving mentality of the people of the state is reflected in their different festivals and fairs. The Manipuri people have their own traditional dresses and colorful costumes. The craftsmen of Manipur are excellent in weaving wonderful garments and other handicrafts made with bamboo, stone etc. There are more than 33 scheduled tribes in Manipur. They have their distinctive languages and cultural heritages of their own. All these tribes are proud of their special cloth designs and folk dances. Those folk dances are extremely colorful. Most of them are simple in respect of stepping, choreography and tales. The dances are closely associated with the very evaluation of the tribes over the ages. 160

28 Table No 4.24: Distribution of Population by Religion YEAR % increase ( ) Religion Hindu 3,47,325 4,81,112 6,32,597 8,53,180 10,59,470 9,96,894 (-) 5.91 Muslim 37,197 48,588 70,969 99,327 1,33,535 1,90, Christian ,52,043 2,79,243 4,21,702 6,26,669 7,37, Sikh , ,301 1, Buddhist , Jain , ,337 1, Others 1,24,486-83,167 35,490 14,066 2,35, Religion not stated - 96,668 3,864 8, , Total 5,77,635 7,80,037 10,72, ,20,953 18,37,149 21,66,788 * Source: Government of Manipur (2008). *Excluding Mao Maram, Paomata, Purul Subdivision. Social Organization: The erstwhile Kingdom of Manipur was formed as a result of the amalgamation of the independent principalities under the Nongda Lairen Pakhnagba in A.D. 33. The independent principalities includes: the Mangang or Meities, Khaba-Ngamba, and Chenglei, Angom, Khuman, Luwang, Moirang. Besides these, there exist several other tribes, such as Mangang, Mangding, Chiren, khende, Heiren khunju etc., all of whom were in course of time, merged into one or the other seven other principalities. When the Ningthouja salai subjugated the rest of the salais, sagei gods of all the other salais, joined the pantheon of the Ningthouja gods. All the salais trace their origin from pakhnagba. Hence, the Mangang or Ningthouja represent the head of Pakhnagba, Luwangs are the middle portion or torso, Moirangs are the portion between the head and torso, Khuman are the tail, Angoms and Khaba-Nganbas are the pelvic area, and Changleis represent the area where the area where the head and tail meet. The name of the sagei, including that of Brahmins, would normally indicate either their role assigned to them traditionally or the place or direction from which each group has come, during the successive waves of immigration over a period of time. For instance, in the case of Thanjam sagei, Thang literally means knife thus indicating that they were connected with manufacturing such 161

29 implements and Takkelchangbam sagei members originally came from Takhel. The early migrants were assimilated to the Meitei fold by giving a new name to them but the late migrants like the Marwari s, Biharis etc remain outside the domain of the core Meitei society, socially as well as geographically. In the earlier period there was section of hill people who were absorbed into the Meitei fold. At the same time, a few sections of Meiteis also went to the hills and settle there (Brara 1998). The early political history reveals that the Meiteis belong to one of the Salai. The main feature of the social structure of the Meiteis is the institution of a system of Salai (clan). Each salai is subdivided into smaller units called Sagei (sub clan). The Meitei used two terms of significance rather frequently in their social introduction among themselves: yek, the name of the salai and yumnak, the name of the sagei. A Phungga (hearth) represent a family. A phunga is a smallest social unit. The head of the sagei is called Piba. His traditional role is to look after the welfare of the people of his sageis and settle small disputes. The piba was not a hereditary functionary, as only an elderly person with good, moral character, can become the Piba. Like the king, he was the ritual head of this group. His role is predominant during public festivals like the worship of the forest and weather deities (Umang Leis). Meiteis has the tradition of maintaining geonology records of each sageis.it were the responsibility of the sagei piba to write and main records. Therefore the Meitei community has many Puyas (ancients written records) dealing with the pedigree of the salais. The Puyas are encyclopedic in nature though many of them have a particular subject as a theme. The genealogy ties serve the purpose of establishing relationships between individuals. It is also on genealogy basis that organizational division have evolved among the Meitei, demarking the larger society into salai-yek and sagei-yumnak and finally the individuals. The kinship among the Meiteis is a vast network stretching in every direction to embraces all members of the community. There are many kinship terms which express the precise kind of relationship between two individuals. The term varies according to age, generational rank, sex of the relation to whom the relationship is determined and sex of the kinsmen. When people meet for the first time, the first thing is to find how how they are related to each other. Once the relation is established, people wil refer to each other by the kinship names like brother (tada), sister (iche), uncle 162

30 (khura), mother (ema), Grandmother (ebok) etc with or without their proper name. So a person may have many father, mothers, sisters, sons, daughters (Laisram 2004). Settlement Pattern: In historical periods the kings played a great role in the formation of different types of villages and determining their particular distribution in different areas. In due course of history, more people migrate from east and west of Manipur but they were all accommodated to the Manipuri society by creating a new yumnak (surname) or admitting into the already existing original yumnaks. Formation of Leikeis and village in the Valley of Manipur: A family lives in a house built in an Ingkhol (own homestead land). A number of houses make a Kollup. When a son borns a child, a new house is built inside the ingkhol. This mean a new family is created. Likewise a new house was built for the other sons whenever need arises. A number of Kollups makes a leikeis. A Leikeis is formed when different kollups are spread out. A road called Leirak Konshang (road) connects all the Konthong (gates) of the house. When leirak Konshang is formed the Leikeis are also formed along with it. Drainage system (Eram nala) were created along the Leirak konshang. A number of Leikeis made a Khul (village). A number of villages made an area called Pana which is developed as an administrative unit. A number of Panas thereafter make a segmentary state (Sanasam 2006). Every leikais has its own community pond (pukhri) which is enough to fit the people of the leikais throughout the year. For the recreational, lampak (playgroung) were created for ever leikais which is seen even today. 163