Manipur Assembly Budget Session adjourned sine die

Proceedings of the Manipur Legislative Assembly’s budget session on Tuesday were briefly disrupted when a mild earthquake struck the region. The tremor, measuring 4.3 on the Richter scale, had its epicenter in Kamjong district at a depth of 45 km. It occurred around 12:08 pm and was felt inside the Assembly hall, prompting Speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh to adjourn the session for five minutes. Fortunately, there were no casualties or damage, and the Assembly Secretariat confirmed that all MLAs and staff were safe. The session resumed shortly after and continued without further disruption.
The earthquake occurred while opposition Congress leader K Meghachandra Singh was speaking on issues related to the public health engineering department, including the Jal Jeevan Mission. The session, which was the last day of the ongoing budget discussions, concluded with significant legislative business. Chief Minister Y Khemchand tabled key fiscal documents, including the Medium Term Fiscal Policy Statement, Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement, and Macro Economic Framework Statement. The Assembly passed a budget allocation of Rs. 1,25,886,94,000 for seven departments for the financial year 2026–27.
During discussions on the forest, environment, and climate change department, Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho reported that action had been taken against landowners permitting poppy cultivation. He revealed that 81 individuals, including 16 village chiefs, one landowner, and 64 cultivators, had been arrested across 10 districts, with 44 FIRs registered. On water supply infrastructure, Dikho assured proactive measures to bridge gaps across the state. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Khemchand acknowledged manpower shortages in the vigilance and anti-corruption department due to police personnel being engaged in law and order duties. He noted that 222 cases had been taken up in the past five years, with 23 FIRs filed, 149 disposed of, and 11 under trial.
Later in the day, the Manipur Appropriation (No. 2) Bill, 2026, was passed unanimously after discussions involving opposition members, including former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. The Chief Minister assured immediate assistance to hailstorm-affected people through district deputy commissioners, who were instructed to use available funds with government reimbursement to follow. He also announced seven new water resource programmes for Thoubal district and clarified that funds allocated for women’s self-help groups were intended for economically weaker sections, not election-related purposes.
After completing the scheduled business, the Speaker adjourned the 7th Session of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly sine die. Despite the brief disruption caused by the earthquake, the Assembly successfully concluded its budget session, passing crucial fiscal measures and addressing pressing issues such as poppy cultivation, water supply, vigilance, and disaster relief.
This summary captures the key developments: the earthquake interruption, fiscal policy discussions, budget passage, law enforcement actions against poppy cultivation, infrastructure commitments, vigilance department updates, disaster relief measures, and the final adjournment of the session.