Manipur pays Rs 1,000 festive aid to 58,863 displaced people

The Manipur government on Sunday, November 8, transferred Rs 1,000 each to 58,863 internally displaced persons (IDPs) as special festive assistance ahead of Diwali and Ningol Chakouba, according to a statement from the Chief Minister's Secretariat.

The total payout is Rs 5,88,63,000, or about Rs 5.88 crore, drawn from the State Emergency Fund, PTI reported via ThePrint. India Today NE and The News Mill reported the same figures.

How the money is reaching families

The funds were first moved by RTGS to designated bank accounts of the Deputy Commissioners of 10 districts: Imphal West, Imphal East, Churachandpur, Thoubal, Ukhrul, Kakching, Kangpokpi, Tengnoupal, Jiribam and Bishnupur. From there, the money was sent to beneficiaries through direct benefit transfer (DBT).

Deputy Commissioners have been told to make sure the payment reaches every eligible person on time, after the necessary verification, the statement said. It did not give a district-wise break-up of beneficiaries.

Festive season in relief camps

Tens of thousands of people in Manipur have been living in relief camps and temporary shelters since ethnic violence broke out in May 2023. Ningol Chakouba, the Meitei festival in which married women are invited back to their parental homes for a feast, falls in the same week as Diwali this year.

According to the official statement, members of the displaced community thanked the government led by Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh for the help during the festive season. In his Diwali message, the Chief Minister wished people happiness and good health and urged them to recommit themselves to peace, progress and prosperity in the state.

Calls for more than one-off help

The payment comes as civil society groups press for longer-term rehabilitation. On Sunday, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) convenor YK Dhiren told a press conference in Imphal that the government should speed up relief supplies and the safe resettlement of displaced families, Imphal Times reported.

Dhiren alleged that, beyond measures announced earlier, no substantial new steps had been taken. He asked that families still living in temporary shelters at Dolaithabi be given proper housing, and that Naga families affected by the violence also receive adequate relief. The government has not publicly responded to those remarks.

A one-time Rs 1,000 payment is modest against the cost of the festive season, but it reaches a large number of people quickly through bank transfers. NEInsider will report on any further relief or resettlement measures announced by the state.