MHA sanctions Rs 101.75 cr relief package for people displaced in Manipur violence

Imphal: The Ministry of Home Affairs has sanctioned a Rs 101.75 crore package to provide relief to the people displaced due to the ethnic violence in Manipur, a top official said on Thursday.

Security advisor to the Manipur government, Kuldiep Singh, said that during his four-day Manipur visit last week (May 29 to June 1), Home Minister Amit Shah had directed the state government to send a proposal to the MHA for a relief package for the displaced people.

Currently, around 37,450 people from different communities are being sheltered in 272 relief camps, including community halls, in 13 districts of Manipur.

Singh also said that with the recovery of another 27 arms and 245 pieces of ammunition in the last 24 hours, the security forces in Manipur have so far recovered 896 sophisticated and automatic arms and 11,763 pieces of ammunition, which were looted from the police and various other security establishments since the ethnic riots broke out in the state on May 3.

The security forces have also recovered 200 live bombs from different districts.

Singh said that curfew has been relaxed for 12 hours in five valley districts, and for 10 hours and eight hours in the neighbouring hill districts.

There is no curfew in six other hill districts, including Tamenglong, Noney, Senapati, Ukhrul, and Kamjong.

Movement of vehicles through National Highway-37 (Imphal-Jiribam) carrying essential items has been ensured.

Combined teams of state and central forces have intensified combing operations in many parts of the state, he said.

Ministers and MLAs in Manipur are appealing to people and civil society organisations for peace and normalcy in the state.

Security forces are also organising meetings with civil society organisations, village heads and others, appealing them to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

The ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed over 100 lives and injured more than 320 people besides damaging a large number of government and private properties and vehicles.