The Manipur government Thursday resettled 257 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from 64 households, officially commencing the much-anticipated resettlement process.
The development came two days after a state-level committee was formed to strengthen rehabilitation and resettlement of IDPs. The committee is chaired by the Chief Secretary and comprises the Commissioners of Finance, Home, and Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, with the Special or Additional Secretary (Home) serving as Convenor.
According to official records the number of IDPs has come down from 62,000 to around 57,000 now. Houses of around 7,000-8,000 of them were destroyed soon after the conflict erupted on May 3, 2023
Pooja Elangbam, the Deputy Commissioner of Bishnupur, flagged off the IDPs from a school relief camp. They will be resettled at a village in Nambol sub-division.
Elangbam said that Thursday marks “a significant and meaningful moment, as many IDPs are able to return to their homes and also signifies a positive step towards building a better and peaceful society”.
