Centre and Manipur State govt to offer compensation packages worth Rs 10 lakh for victims of ethnic clashes

The Centre and Manipur state government on Tuesday announced compensation packages worth Rs 10 lakh for victims of the ethnic violence that has swept over Manipur. 

In addition to the packages, one member of the victim’s family will be provided with a job. The Centre and state government will contribute towards these measures equally. 

As per PTI, the decision was made after Union Home Minister Amit Shah met Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in Imphal, Manipur. The two ministers assessed the situation in the state and finalized the compensation packages. In addition to the packages, the two ministers decided to set up official telephone lines to curb the rumour-mongering that has set the state ablaze. 

The Union Home Minister also assured the CM that essential items such as petrol, LPG gas, rice and other food products would be made available in large quantities to cool down prices. 

Apart from the CM, Shah also met a group of women leaders in the state. “Together we are committed to ensuring peace and prosperity in the state,” Shah said after meeting them. He also met a delegation of civil society organisations in Manipur, an official from the Ministry of Home Affairs informed. 

Ethnic clashes broke out across the state after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. 

Following the march, the state has witnessed waves of clashes, with the latest taking the lives of 5 on Sunday. To curb the violence and rising unrest, around 140 columns of the Indian Army and Assam Rifles, comprising over 10,000 personnel, were deployed in the state. Despite their efforts, the total death toll from the clashes has reached 80, officials reported.