Manipur govt disbursed Rs 6 cr to families of 60 killed in clashes, court-appointed panel tells SC

 Govt has also given one-time assistance of Rs 1,000 each to 53,500 people in relief camps, panel says in report. Appointed last month, it has submitted 12 reports.

BHADRA SINHA, The Print, 22 September, 2023, New Delhi: The N. Biren Singh government has so far disbursed Rs 6 crore as ex gratia to the families of 60 victims killed during the ethnic clashes in Manipur, a three-member panel appointed to look into rehabilitation measures has informed the Supreme Court.

Quoting the Manipur home secretary, the panel said in a report that 60 families had received the ex-gratia payment. ThePrint has seen the report, which was the eighth of 12 submitted to the court.  

On 3 May, ethnic clashes broke out between the non-tribal Meiteis and tribal Kukis in Manipur. Over 170 people have been killed in the violence and several thousands displaced in the violence that have continued since. 

Significantly, the panel headed by J&K High Court chief justice (retired) Gita Mittal was constituted 7 August on the orders of the Supreme Court to look into rehabilitation measures which the state has undertaken to help the displaced families. 

During its several meetings with Manipur officials, the committee has issued several directions to Manipur authorities, many of which relate to seeking statistics and data related to the violence, ThePrint has learnt. 

The panel’s 8th report also states that the Manipur government has paid Rs 1,000 to every person living in relief camps as grant of one-time financial assistance. This payment has been extended to 53,500 people living in relief camps, the report shows — meaning that the state has released Rs 5.33 crore so far for the purpose.

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Financial assistance, prefabricated shelters 

According to the report, financial assistance of Rs 1,000 was given to each person and not family-wise. This means that a family of five has received Rs 5,000 under this scheme.

However, the committee has voiced its concern over whether this is sufficient, especially given the continued displacement of those living in relief camps. According to the panel, since many have spent more than a month there, they could be needing further financial assistance to overcome the lack of income from their uprooted livelihoods.

It has, therefore, advised the state to conduct a review as to whether a second round of distribution of one-time financial assistance should happen. The government should apprise the panel about the quantum that would be required to meet the expenses, the report said.

The panel has also sought details about the ex gratia amount given to families of those who died due to the clashes. It wants to know the methodology followed by the government to identify the families, the mode of transfer of the ex gratia amount, and also specifics about those to whom the money has been released. 

According to the report, the committee was also told about the Manipur government’s move to hand over 200 prefabricated shelters to displaced families in Imphal East. These temporary shelters were arranged because the relief camps do not allow privacy for families, it was told. 

Further, maintenance of sanitation and basic hygiene, which could cause social and health problems, are an issue due to which these families were moved to prefabricated homes, according to the report.

But the Manipur government assured the panel that provision of these structures is an intermediate measure and eventually people would be rehabilitated in permanent homes.

With regard to pre-fabrication structures for housing displaced families, the panel has asked the state to give a break-up of the location of these temporary shelters, the families who were allotted, and the basis of the allotment.

“The government of Manipur should make urgent effort (sic) to enable people to move into permanent residences,” the panel has observed in the report.

Besides, the panel has sought information on how many MGNREGS projects the state has initiated and how many of the displaced men and women were offered jobs, and the value of employment created. 

If the state has faced any barrier in designing and implementing these projects, the government was told to inform the panel, apart from disclosing whether these projects are a feasible way forward for job creation.

(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)