The Manipur government has informed the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) that it needs more time to sort out the row over the sharp rise in population of scheduled caste members in the state.Following a request from Manipurs Secretary, Tribal affairs, the NCSC has given the government one-month time to respond on the ‘‘tricky issue’’, which has led to protests by the state’s predominant SC community, the Lois.The 2001 census report showed that the population of SCs in Manipur had risen by over 200 per cent in just 20 years. This prompted the Lois to point fingers at those who had obtained SC certificates ‘‘fraudulently’’. Commission member Fakir Bhai Vaghela said the Lois’ charges ‘‘carry weight’’ as the rise in SC population cannot be justified otherwise.According to sources, many of those who have obtained such certificates have been traced to Kackching, near Imphal. This village does not figure in the list of five designated villages from where the state’s traditional SC communities hail from. The 2001 Census report put the total SC population of Manipur at 60,047, out of which 33,477 are from Kakching.
