Aizawl: Mizoram has made substantial progress in the biometric enrolment of refugees from Myanmar, with more than 90% of the exercise completed across the State, officials of the State Home Department said on Sunday.
According to official figures, Mizoram is currently hosting 28,355 refugees from Myanmar. Biometric data have been collected from 26,381 individuals, accounting for 93.04% of the total, across all 11 districts.
Champhai district, which shares a long and porous border with Myanmar and accommodates the largest number of refugees, continues to lead the exercise. The district administration has completed biometric enrolment of 12,083 refugees. Officials said this was achieved despite fresh inflows, with 231 refugees entering the district towards the end of January and another 137 arriving last week.
Several other districts have already completed the process. Aizawl, Lunglei and Serchhip districts concluded biometric registration earlier, aided by relatively easier access to refugee settlements and smoother administrative conditions. In southern Mizoram, Hnahthial district has also reported near-total coverage, with biometric details collected from 563 of the 591 refugees residing there, translating to 95.26% completion as of Friday.
Progress, however, has been slower in Lawngtlai district, Mizoram’s southernmost district bordering both Myanmar and Bangladesh. Of the 5,034 refugees sheltered there, biometric enrolment has been completed for 3,677 individuals, or 73.04%. The district has also recorded a net decline of 983 refugees compared with figures from late January, though officials said the reasons for the decrease were not immediately known.
Officials acknowledged wide variations in the pace of enrolment across districts. Although the exercise was formally launched in all 11 districts in the latter half of July last year, technical glitches, logistical constraints and difficult terrain in several border areas have affected uniform progress.
Compounding the challenge, biometric enrolment reportedly came to a complete halt in five districts during January — Siaha along the Myanmar border, Kolasib bordering Assam, Saitual adjoining Manipur, Mamit bordering Tripura and Bangladesh, and Khawzawl in northeastern Mizoram. The Home Department said it was yet to receive detailed reports on the reasons for the suspension in these districts.
The biometric registration exercise is considered critical for accurately documenting and managing the large number of refugees who have crossed into Mizoram following political instability and armed conflict in Myanmar. Officials said efforts were underway to address technical and logistical bottlenecks to ensure that the remaining enrolment is completed at the earliest. With intermittent border movement and fresh arrivals continuing, the State faces the dual task of completing pending registrations while keeping records updated to reflect new inflows.