The Centre and the Manipur state government on Tuesday announced compensation packages for those who lost their lives in the recent ethnic clashes in the state. A compensation of Rs 10 lakh has been announced, officials said on Tuesday. Also, one member of the deceased’s family will also be provided with a job. The compensation amount will be equally borne by the centre and the state, officials added.The decision to announce compensation was taken late on Monday, during a meeting between Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, news agency PTI reported. Officials said it has also been decided to set up dedicated telephone lines which will be used to dispel rumour mongering which has largely affected the process to calm down the situation and bring peace to the troubled state.
Shah’s meeting also decided to ensure that essential items such as petrol, LPG gas, rice and other food products would be made available in large quantities to cool down prices. The home minister who flew to Imphal on Monday night is accompanied by the Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla and the Director of the Intelligence Bureau Tapan Kumar Deka. On Tuesday, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan said challenges in Manipur have not disappeared, but expressed hope that things will settle down in some time while noting the situation in the north-eastern state now is not related to insurgency. The death toll from clashes since ethnic rioting began on May 3 in Manipur has gone up to 80, according to officials. Ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Since then there have been waves of unrest including the latest round of clashes which saw at least 5 dead on Sunday.