A total of 58,881 individuals were displaced as a result of ethnic violence in Manipur from May 3, 2023 to March 30 this year, according to the Manipur government in response to a right to information query.
The government provided the data on Monday, in response to an RTI report submitted by Congress leader from Manipur, Hareshwar Goshwamy, in September last year, seeking information on the situation of displaced persons affected by violence in Manipur among the Meitei and Kuki Zo communities.
Responding to Goshwami’s query on the total number of IDPs since the beginning of the Manipur crisis, the state Home Ministry said that as of March 30 this year, the number of IDPs in Manipur stood at 58,881.
There are currently 7,894 permanently destroyed housing units and 2,646 partially damaged houses, the RTI response said in response to a query on the total number of houses completely and partially destroyed since May 3, 2023.
In a separate inquiry into the total number of deaths and infections linked to the Manipur crisis since May 3, 2023, the government stated that the number of deaths reached 217, as an ex-gratia payment to next of kin.
It is certain that more than 260 people have been killed in ethnic violence so far. The government’s response to the RTI query mentioned only those deaths where payment was made ex-gratia.
The government added that as of March 10 this year, the state had a total of 174 relief camps and a total of 3,000 prefabricated houses had been built by the Manipur Police Housing Corporation (MPHC) Limited.
The response stated that as part of the special assistance to operate the relief camps, a total amount of Rs $Rs 424.36 crore has been approved by the Home Ministry $Rs 217.4 crore released. A total of $Rs 284.6 crore has been released to Deputy Commissioners (DC).
Under the special package for the rehabilitation and resettlement of internally displaced persons, a total amount of Rs $Of this, Rs 523 crore has been approved by the ministry $Rs 124.50 crore has been released.
Moreover, the total amount $Rs 65,1635 crore has been issued to developing countries. In addition, within the framework of the state’s scheme to support the purchase of mattresses and personal items, $Rs 14.24 crore has been released.
“Of all the answers to nine queries, 30-40% of the answers were unsatisfactory, while the remaining 60% of the answers were partly satisfactory,” the RTI appellant told HT.
Goshwamy said the ministry has already approved and approved special assistance funds for running relief camps and another special package for rehabilitation and resettlement of displaced persons.
Meanwhile, the Manipur Information Commission (MIC) on Tuesday directed the Manipur Home Administration to provide complete and consolidated state-level information on internally displaced persons (IDPs) resulting from the crisis in the state within 15 days.
The directive was issued by state Information Commissioner Nongchitombi Atukpam while deciding an appeal case filed by Hareshwar Goshwamy against the State Public Information Officer (SPIO) and Home Ministry officials, alleging that the authorities had failed to provide uniform information on relief camps, deaths and health conditions of displaced persons.
The committee directed that the Manipur Home Department, as the nodal authority, should provide comprehensive data and held that the information is discloseable under the RTI Act.
