Imphal, Sep 3 (PTI): Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Thursday informed the Assembly that 36,000 out of around 60,000 IDPs have been resettled.
Replying to a discussion moved by Congress MLA Th Lokeshwar Singh, the chief minister said around 24,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) were still living in relief camps across the state.
He attributed the progress in resettlement to the collective support and efforts of MLAs.
Singh said IDPs from both the hills and the valley had the same desire to return to their homes.
Expressing concern over the issue, Singh said he had last month called representatives of six to seven joint associations of IDPs for discussions on ways to provide assistance and facilitate their resettlement.
Despite the resettlement of 36,000 IDPs, the government was still providing financial assistance to around 59,000 of the total 60,000 displaced people, he said.
Singh said even those who had returned home continued to face difficulties due to a lack of livelihood and earning opportunities, and therefore the government was continuing to provide monthly financial assistance to them.
The chief minister said financial assistance alone could not address the impact of a conflict that had continued for three years and that the prolonged crisis had also caused mental trauma among affected people.
The health department was taking steps to help reduce the trauma faced by them, he said.
Singh said he was also discussing the matter with the Planning Department to explore further measures and initiatives for the rehabilitation and livelihood support of affected people.
He said the government welcomed suggestions from all quarters and stressed that the issue should be viewed without any political considerations.
The ethnic conflict that erupted in May 2023 between the valley-based Meitei and the hill-based Kuki communities has so far claimed at least 306 lives, with 49 people still missing and thousands rendered homeless.