Demographical Variation and Internal Migration in the Tribal Belt of Manipur

Manipur a tiny land-locked states of India’s north East is a land predominantly occupied by ethnic groups of Meitei, Kuki and Naga people. However after the colonial rule and India’s independence from the British yoke, the state witnesses certain demographic and structural changes in the state through internal migration and other developmental factors of centre and state policy. The state is divided into two region; the valley, inhabited by the Meitei group, and the Hills inhabited by the Tribal groups. The rise of population and identity consciousness led it to internal conflict intra-migration among the ethnic groups in the state. On the basis of historical development, the study tries to examine the roots of migration without strictly follow any conceptual or theoretical framework of methodology. As a result, the study shall remain rooted on secondary sources of information while primary sources are based on personal experienced and observation.