Centre approves 5,000 houses for Manipur displaced, but will relief reach all equally?

Union agriculture and rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has approved the construction of 5,000 houses for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Manipur under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana–Gramin (PMAY-G) , but concerns persist over whether relief will reach all communities equally in the conflict-scarred state.

The approval followed Chouhan’s meeting with Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in New Delhi on Monday, during which the Union minister assured full support to restore peace and normalcy. To speed up rehabilitation, the rural development ministry has opened a special window under the Awaas+ 2024 household survey to identify beneficiaries. Registration will be carried out by the Manipur government, but selections must strictly follow PMAY-G norms and be uploaded through the Awaas+ 2024 mobile application . Families whose earlier sanctioned homes were destroyed during the violence will also be eligible.

Earlier this month, the state government sought approval for 5,000 houses. In January, it announced plans to resettle 10,000 displaced families by March 31 . Officials said 16,500 IDPs have so far been resettled .

Separately, Chief Minister Singh announced ₹33 crore in direct financial assistance to displaced families through direct benefit transfer and expanded relief outreach by bringing Meitei and Kuki-Zo IDPs onto a common platform to promote reconciliation and equitable aid delivery.

However, civil society groups and tribal organisations have raised concerns about fair implementation , citing Manipur’s long-standing developmental and administrative imbalance . Most government offices, infrastructure, and decision-making centres are concentrated in the Imphal Valley, dominated by the Meitei community, while hill districts inhabited largely by tribal groups have remained comparatively underdeveloped. One frequently cited example is the Imphal Smart City project , where the bulk of infrastructure funding was concentrated in the valley, reinforcing perceptions of unequal access to public resources. They fear similar patterns could influence rehabilitation unless strict central oversight is enforced.

Manipur has witnessed sustained ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meitei groups and hill-based Kuki-Zo communities since May 2023, rooted in disputes over land, political representation, and identity. The unrest has killed at least 260 people , displaced thousands, and disrupted normal life across several districts. Security forces remain deployed in sensitive areas, with intermittent curfews and movement restrictions, as peace efforts continue amid deep mistrust.