The Nagaland Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official inward travel document, issued by the Government of Nagaland in India to monitor any possible misconduct on its people and solidify historical conservation.[1] [2] The State of Nagaland comes under the Protected and restricted areas of India.[3]
The Inner Line Permit system was implemented under the Bengal Eastern Frontier regulation Act 1873. It is an act to prohibit “British subjects” from entering into these “Protected Areas”.[4] Dimapur, was the only district that was not under the ILP regime in Nagaland, which came into being in 1963.[5]
"In exercise of the powers conferred under Section 2 of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, and in the interest of the public, the Governor of Nagaland is pleased to extend the Inner Line to cover the entire District of Dimapur with immediate effect,"[6] This step was taken to exempt the entire district from the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).[7]
Non-indigenous Indian citizens are made avail of travel documents i.e. ILP to enter the state of Nagaland. It serves to protect the indigenous people from exploitation and ensures cultural and traditional preservation.
The Inner Line Permit (ILP) is a mandatory travel document required for Indian citizens who are not native to Nagaland as well as for foreign nationals entering the state. Failure to comply with this requirement may result in fines or other penalties. The permit fee is INR 100 for Indian citizens and INR 200 for foreign nationals. The validity of the permit is one month from the date of issue, with the possibility of extension for up to six months.
The following people are exempted from the requirement:
- Members of the armed forces and their families
- Central government employees and their families
- State government employees and their families
- Persons on official duty with the government of India or the government of Nagaland
- Persons who have been issued a permanent residence certificate (PRC) by the government of Nagaland.[8]
The ILP system is in place to protect the indigenous people of Nagaland from exploitation and to preserve their culture and traditions.