Imphal: Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has approved construction of 5,000 houses under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for internally displaced persons (IDPs) hit by ethnic violence in Manipur.
Chouhan cleared the special project for FY 2025-26 after meeting Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in New Delhi on Monday evening, officials said. The minister assured full central suppo
rt to restore peace and normalcy amid the protracted conflict between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and hill-based Kuki-Zo communities.
Ethnic clashes erupted in the state on May 3, 2023, during a ‘tribal solidarity march’ against Meitei demands for Scheduled Tribe status, sparking arson, gun battles, and mass displacement. Over 260 people have died, 60,000 fled homes, and 4,786 structures razed in the first weeks alone, according to official figures. Thousands of affected people continue to live in relief camps amid periodic flare-ups despite peace efforts and security crackdowns.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) for internally displaced persons (IDPs), the state proposed construction of 5,000 pucca houses this month after resettling 16,500 IDPs, targeting 40,000 by March-end with Rs 1,124 crore aid, sources said.