Imphal: Union agriculture and rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has approved the construction of 5,000 new houses for the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Manipur under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).Chouhan cleared the houses for the financial year 2025-26 after meeting Manipur chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Monday evening at his residence in New Delhi, according to a statement from the chief minister’s office issued on Tuesday.
The chief minister was accompanied by deputy chief ministers Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho.Chouhan warmly received the three Manipuri leaders and assured all help in their bid to bring peace and normalcy in the state.The approval follows a proposal submitted earlier this month by the Manipur govt seeking a special PMAY-G project to build 5,000 houses for IDPs affected by the violence.The Union minister also approved a special window of the Awaas+ 2024 survey to capture details of eligible affected households, and allowed the state to continue registering eligible beneficiaries under the special PMAY-G project.The ministry directed that beneficiaries must be identified as per PMAY-G guidelines, and that identification and uploading of eligible beneficiary details be completed through the Awaas+ 2024 mobile app.The state has also been allowed to sanction houses for eligible beneficiaries who had earlier received PMAY-G assistance — one or more instalments — but whose houses were destroyed during the violence, the statement said.Earlier on Monday, Khemchand Singh met defence minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi and urged him to raise one Territorial Army battalion for Manipur. “Rajnath Singh has assured all assistance from the defence ministry in any endeavour of the state govt,” a separate statement said.Khemchand, along with the two deputy chief ministers, also met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought enhanced financial assistance for Manipur to pursue inclusive growth.The chief minister also conveyed gratitude to Sitharaman for her continued support, the CM’s office said, adding that the finance minister assured help to revive the state’s financial health and economy and said the Centre would assist in IDP rehabilitation.Khemchand also met DoNER minister Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, who said the ministry is funding a project on Polo in Manipur, where the game originated. Scindia also assured coordination with other central ministries on issues relating to Manipur.Before meeting the union ministers, Khemchand and the two deputy chief ministers met BJP national president Nitin Nabin at the party’s national office in New Delhi. During the meeting, Nabin discussed strengthening the state party unit and asked the chief minister to speed up resettlement of IDPs, assuring support from the party.
