Inner Line Permit

Why in news?

• The Ladakh administration recently issued a notification to do away with the need for an inner line permit (ILP) for all Indian nationals, including domestic tourists, to visit the notified protected areas of the union territory.

About Inner line permit:

• Inner Line Permit (ILP) is an official travel document issued by the concerned state government to allow inward travel of an Indian citizen into a protected area for a limited period.
• It is obligatory for Indian citizens from outside those states to obtain a permit for entering into the protected state.
• The document is an effort by the government to regulate movement to certain areas located near the international border of India.
• An ILP is usually significantly easier to obtain than the Protected Area Permit (PAP) which is the document required by non-citizens to enter the same areas.
• States which require ILP are Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Lakshadweep
• ILP is used for preservation of indigenous culture and tradition. It also prevents illegal migrants and encroachment by outsiders.

History of ILP:

• Inner Line Permit concept comes from the colonial area. Under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation Act, 1873, the British framed regulations restricting the entry and regulating the stay of outsiders in designated areas.
• This was to protect the Crown’s own commercial interests by preventing “British subjects” (Indians) from trading within these regions. In 1950, the Indian government replaced “British subjects” with “Citizen of India”

PRACTICE QUESTION

Which among the following States/ Union territories have inner line permit system?

(1) Arunachal Pradesh

(2) Ladakh

(3) Manipur

(4) Lakshadweep

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1,2 and 3 only

(b) 1,3 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1,2,3 and 4

Answer