By Melarbor L Thabah
The ILP is a travel document that allows Indian citizens to visit and stay for a fixed time in the states enforcing the regime. These ILP documents differ depending on the purpose of visit, dates of visit and exit in ILP states. ILP regulates the inflow of people, enables tax collection and is related with the Sixth Schedule. ILP issued by the state can be applied online or offline.
Common misconceptions about ILP are:
1). Freedom of movement, business and residence of Indian citizens is violated – India has the best record in the world that we should take pride in, because of its excellent treatment of minorities when compared to the abhorrent treatment-policies on the indigenous minorities by nations like China, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and USA which historically still affects them. It is completely justifiable and justiciable to have an Act which protects the existence of minorities, their demography and land rights.
2). Inflow of tourists is inhibited – Our Tourism Minister had correctly cited Israel where visa acquisition takes a long time but tourists persist in their application even on rejection because of the significance of the place. People will continue to come to Meghalaya known for its beauty in India and abroad because it has both tapped and untapped natural beauty with a hospitable indigenous populace. People will line up to visit the state by filling a simplified one page or an easy to fill e-form as part of the ease of doing business and pay either online or offline, whichever is convenient for them. ILP will not affect tourist inflow at minimal tax rates, fast approval, planned and effective checking system. Rather it will document, regulate and streamline tourist inflow. Had the ILP system been in place, tourists would be deterred from undertaking insidious and malevolent activities.
3). Deters business investment – Deterrence of business-investment and joint ventures can be attributed to the fact that for 53 years Meghalaya did not have a national or international airport which multinational companies had expressed in numerous business investment summits. The Sixth Schedule and the Meghalaya Land Transfer Act (MLTA) restricts setting up of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in the state since land availability is a problem. The modified MLT Act was meant to facilitate lan acquisition for business investment but has been aborted. If non-ILP states like Assam and Sikkim could get companies from outside to invest why has Meghalaya not been able to do the same in 53 years? An inward introspection is needed as to why no business-investments have been made by MNCs in the manufacturing – servicing sectors in 53 years rather than blame the ILP. With an effective investment policy that addresses land acquisition, skilled labour, deals for employing local youths and developed physical infrastructures the ILP will not be a hindrance for establishing businesses It will only ensure that the right people and right institutions can enter the state.
4). Bureaucracy, staff – labour dearth and inconvenience to students – ILP grants liberty as to who can be charged for entering Meghalaya such as bureaucrats, staff, labourers and students. These categories can pay a one-time minimal amount in a year and they can traverse in and out of the state as many times as they want after making this one-time payment and with valid identity upon re-entry. For example, students can pay Rs 200 annually, labourers Rs 400 annually and for bureaucrats and other officials they should pay as per their pay matrix. Such minimal fees will not affect them, their traversing and staying.
5). Prevents assimilation & patriotism – From print, social media and general media, assimilation can be attained by learning about the history, culture and customs of India. Students and workers from our state move to study and work outside to different states of India. Similarly, students and workers from outside the state work and study here, besides the non-indigenous people who had been living in the state and are assimilated. Educational institutions contribute towards assimilation and patriotism. Patriotism is inborn, not enforced and most certainly ILP does not make us less patriotic. We have seen that people from mainland India can also be unpatriotic. To negatively attribute assimilation and patriotism with ILP is preposterous.
6). Act East Policy & Transit State – North East India has had no visible infrastructure for 25 years to support the operationalization of Act East policy due to policy paralysis with no land transport, inland waterways, airport and manufacturing. Nor is there service infrastructure development to support bulk exports for bolstering trade from the region to ASEAN. Hypothetical illusions that ILP will hinder the Act East Policy is a fallacy. Transitory, ILP pertains only to checking of vehicular movement in case passengers carry narcotics and firearms. This exercise may take a few minutes since there is no large X ray machine, no hand-held detection device, sniffer dogs or manual checking which resulted in our state being a destination and transit hub for narcotics. ILP will be a positive feature to check this illegal menace and will not affect the state’s transit status.
7). Competition Issues & Unemployment – ILP calls for a regulated entry of skilled migrants into our state to fill up posts in private /public sectors where locals lack the technical know-how. At present, the state is plagued by unskilled and few semi-skilled labourers who compete and deprive the locals of jobs. ILP will not hinder the specialist skilled staff at NEIGRIHMS, et al but only those menial migrant labourers who take the jobs of unemployed local youths by lowering the minimal wages to below normal wage levels. ILP will not contribute to unemployment of local workers in shops, hotels or drivers who survive on tourist inflow since the tourist will continue to come because of the natural beauty with easy to fill – fast ILP processing juxtaposed with minimal tax rates.
8). Lack of Stringent Enforcement Mechanism – A robust implementing mechanism for checking, detecting and deporting the illegal immigrants is important. A cut off year for deportation must be put in place. Corrupt individuals who grant ILP documents without following the ILP protocol must be punished by a law designed for the purpose. The problem will not arise if the majority 90% of illegal migrants are prevented entry with some being drug traffickers, although there might be illegal migrants who escape checking but can be re-detected and deported.
Revenue Generation: The positive aspects of Direct Revenue Collection for the government have never been considered but only negative aspects have been discussed whenever the word ILP is uttered. The state earns mostly from minerals, SGST, alcohol, licenses and other minor tax revenue sources. It could enhance revenue collection from ILP post five years through methodical planning, infrastructural development and effective media promotion which can bring about Rs 90-99 crore annual income not only from tourists but all types of entrants. Manipur earned 14 crores for 5 years from ILP since its ILP introduction in 2020. Nagaland and Mizoram earned 36 and 33 crores respectively in 2024-25. Arunachal Pradesh with higher ILP tax rates attains more revenue though the exact numbers are not put out. ILP revenue could be spent for development of all tourist sites, roads or deposited in the state treasury. States have the liberty to set up their own ILP tax slabs for teachers, lecturers, businessmen, skilled labourers, tourists, bureaucrats and business partners.
Meghalaya has an edge because of its geographical location and natural beauty in North East India. ILP can be a major tax revenue instead of it being a minor tax revenue. An 800 Rs increase in car entry from a fixed rate to tourist sites will stimulate local tourist drivers’ income at regulated rates and deter the latter. This is the perspective which the government should aim at to make ILP a major tax revenue in the next five years.
The time is now ripe for granting ILP since we have all the Central Institutions that we need like NEIAH, NLU, et al. The Central Government should shed all negative preconceived notions about granting ILP but engage in sincere meaningful dialogue with all stakeholders to find ways to grant ILP so as to allow railways and the entry of trains be they goods or passenger trains with effective checking mechanisms without disrupting the normal life of Indian citizens while at the same time protecting the demography and identity of the indigenous populace. This will be a win-win situation for the center to set up railways and for the state to implement the ILP.