NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI: Manipur CM N Biren Singh expressed “regret” and apologised to people of the state Tuesday for nearly 20 months of intermittent ethnic bloodletting on his watch, saying it was time now to “forgive and forget” as the BJP-led govt builds on the “improvement in law and order and focuses on development”.
“Many people have lost their loved ones, many left their homes behind…Being their CM, I feel the pain of the innocent people,” he said.
“Let’s begin the New Year on a reconciliatory note and work towards peace,” he added, citing statistics suggesting the state had rebounded from the horrors of the conflict since May 3, 2023, in which over 250 people died, many women were raped, villages burned and people displaced. Comparing the period May to Oct 2023 and May 2024 to date, Singh said Manipur reported fewer deaths (down from 178 to 12) and injuries (1,429 to 160) in violence this year.
Drug smugglers, infiltrators from Myanmar top threats: Manipur CM N Biren Singh
Cases of arson and vandalism, too, declined from 16,443 during the peak of the strife to 167 during the same period in 2024, he said.
“Now that the situation has improved, political dialogue should start between the communities involved,” Singh told TOI. “The resilience of our people and the measures taken have led to a more stable environment. The road ahead looks promising.”
At a presser in Imphal, the CM said Manipur’s biggest threat was demographic change wrought by infiltrators from neighbouring Myanmar and drug smugglers.
“Since 2018, around 20,000 hectares of poppy plantation have been destroyed and drugs valued at more than Rs 70,000 crore in the contraband market have been seized. Around 3,700 drug smugglers and other suspects have been arrested.”
The CM said govt had taken several initiatives aimed at sustainable development and rehabilitation of those affected by the strife.
Over 2,000 displaced families have returned home, supported by Rs 32 crore in farm compensation. Plans are underway for residential skill development programmes for 500 youths, with training and assured placements in Air India and IndiGo, and migration support centres in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, operational from January 2025, he said.
Employment remains a priority, with the CM’s entrepreneurship support schemes providing collateral-free loans of up to Rs 50,000 to internally displaced people.
Healthcare initiatives include free provision of 23 cancer drugs across district hospitals and the construction of a 60-bed mental health facility under a central scheme, Biren Singh said.
“Education has also seen a boost with the establishment of 13 model residential schools and financial assistance for displaced students in private institutions.”
The govt is addressing infrastructure deficits with additional flights from Imphal to key destinations, electrification of 36,972 households, and improved road connectivity.
