GUWAHATI: Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Thursday said his government’s priority was to remove the trust deficit between the two communities and help internally displaced persons (IDPs) return to their homes with peace and goodwill.
For the first time since May 2023 when Manipur was engulfed by ethnic violence, the Chief Minister of the state interacted with IDPs of Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities together.
Khemchand interacted with Kuki-Zo IDPs of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi through video conference and met Meitei IDPs at an IDP centre in Imphal. On the occasion, the government released Rs 33 crore to the IDPs through direct benefit transfer.
During the interaction, the IDPs of both communities narrated the hardship they faced in the last three years.
A young Kuki girl from Kangpokpi district told him to consider her as his daughter and said she was facing difficulties in pursuing her post-graduation. Similarly, a Meitei woman pleaded with him to allow her to return to her home in the India-Myanmar border town of Moreh.
Khemchand said his government was trying hard to bridge the relationship between the two communities and remove their fear about venturing into each other’s areas. “I will not let your tears go in vain,” said the Chief Minister, adding that his government’s priority was to remove the trust deficit.
He told an inmate of a relief camp in Churachandpur that he understood the hardship being faced by the people of this Kuki-majority district in getting medical treatment, as a majority of doctors in the state are from Meitei community and advanced medical facilities are located in Imphal.
Khemchand said that there were about 8,000 Kuki-Zo students whose studies had been affected by the ethnic conflict. He said while 2,000 of them could pursue their studies in other states, 6,000 others were still facing problems. “We need a special plan for such students,” he said.
The Chief Minister reiterated that any Kuki-Zo tribal, who would want to visit Imphal for medical treatment, would be provided fool-proof security.
“There will be absolutely no problem for you all to get medical treatment in the hospitals of Imphal. A few new ambulances have also arrived; we will make some arrangements,” he told the Kuki-Zo inmates of Churachandpur and Kangpokpi.