Centre Approves 5,000 Houses for Internally Displaced Persons in Manipur
Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan approved the construction of 5,000 houses for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Manipur, after meeting Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh in New Delhi.
The houses will be constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), adapted specifically for displaced persons affected by the ongoing ethnic violence.
The ethnic conflict between the Meitei community (Imphal Valley) and the Kuki-Zo tribal groups (hill districts) erupted in May 2023 and has killed at least 260 people with over 60,000 displaced.
As of early 2026, the state government had resettled 16,500 IDPs and aimed to resettle 10,000 more families by March 31, 2026; the newly approved 5,000 houses are part of the expanded rehabilitation effort.
Minister Chouhan assured all federal support for bringing "peace and normalcy" to Manipur, signalling continued Centre-state coordination on rehabilitation.
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G): Housing for All
Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) is the Central Government's flagship rural housing scheme, launched in 2016 as a restructured form of the Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY). The scheme provides financial assistance to Below Poverty Line (BPL) rural households for constructing or upgrading permanent homes. The government sets a unit cost (currently ₹1.20 lakh in plains, ₹1.30 lakh in hilly/northeastern states), with costs shared between Centre (60%) and states (40%) in general states, and 90:10 in northeastern and special category states.
Using PMAY-G as the vehicle for IDP rehabilitation is administratively efficient — it avoids creating a parallel scheme and leverages existing fund flows and construction monitoring infrastructure. The 5,000 houses represent approximately ₹65 crore in central assistance (at ₹1.30 lakh/unit in northeastern states).
Manipur Ethnic Conflict: Background and Dimensions
The ethnic conflict in Manipur between the Meitei community (majority, concentrated in Imphal Valley) and the Kuki-Zo tribal groups (hill districts) began on May 3, 2023, when violence erupted following a Tribal Solidarity March. The immediate trigger was the Manipur High Court's direction to the state government to consider including Meities in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list — a move strongly opposed by existing ST communities who feared dilution of reservation benefits and land rights.
The 5,000 houses are a rehabilitation measure, not a conflict resolution measure. The approval reflects an acknowledgement that IDPs — now in their third year of displacement — cannot remain indefinitely in temporary relief camps. However, housing alone cannot address the deep structural causes of the conflict.
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs): International and Indian Framework
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are people forced to flee their homes due to conflict, violence, disasters, or human rights violations, but who remain within their country's borders. Unlike refugees, IDPs are not covered by the 1951 Refugee Convention. The Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement (1998), developed by the UN, provide the international framework. India does not have a dedicated domestic IDP law or policy, and IDP management falls to state governments with central assistance.
The absence of a dedicated IDP policy in India means ad hoc solutions — like using PMAY-G housing — are the primary rehabilitation tools. The Manipur situation has intensified calls for a national IDP framework that provides systematic entitlements rather than case-by-case central approvals.
Internal Security Dimensions: Ethnic Conflict and State Capacity
Manipur's ethnic conflict has significant internal security dimensions. The presence of armed militias affiliated with both Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities, arms proliferation following police armoury looting in 2023, and the use of drone attacks in hostilities have raised the conflict's intensity. The Centre has deployed approximately 60,000 security personnel (Army, Assam Rifles, CRPF, and BSF) in the state. The conflict has also been linked to the region's drug trafficking networks along the India-Myanmar border.
Key Details
- May 2023 violence included looting of police armouries — thousands of weapons reportedly taken by armed groups
- Drone attacks: first use of armed drones in domestic ethnic conflict in India (2023)
- India-Myanmar border (Manipur): historically porous; used for heroin and methamphetamine trafficking (Golden Triangle proximity)
- Suspension of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) with Myanmar: Centre suspended the FMR in February 2024 to curb cross-border infiltration; border fencing project accelerated
- Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA): partially applicable in Manipur; provides legal immunity to armed forces in "disturbed areas"
Housing rehabilitation for IDPs is a step toward normalcy, but sustained peace requires addressing the security vacuum, disarming non-state actors, and creating political conditions for return. The government's housing announcement is a humanitarian measure within a complex security situation.
- 5,000 houses approved under PMAY-G for Manipur IDPs (February 2026)
- Approved by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan after meeting CM Yumnam Khemchand Singh
- Ethnic conflict erupted May 3, 2023 — Meitei vs. Kuki-Zo communities
- Deaths: at least 260 killed as of early 2026
- Displaced: over 60,000 persons; 50,000+ still in relief camps as of mid-2025
- Resettled so far: 16,500 IDPs; state target was 10,000 families by March 31, 2026
- PMAY-G unit cost for northeastern states: ₹1.30 lakh (90:10 Centre-state share)
- Manipur demographics: Meiteis ~53% of population in 10% of land (valley); Kuki-Zo/Nagas ~40% in 90% of land (hills)
- Security deployment: approximately 60,000 central forces in Manipur
- FMR with Myanmar: suspended February 2024; border fencing accelerated
- India has no dedicated national IDP legislation — conflict IDPs managed through state mechanisms with central ad hoc support