Imphal, Feb 24 (AHN) Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has approved the construction of 5,000 new houses for the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), affected by ethnic violence in Manipur, under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G), officials said on Tuesday.

An official of the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in Imphal said that Chouhan approved the construction of the houses for IDPs affected by the prolonged law and order crisis for the financial year 2025-26 after a meeting with Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Monday night.

The state's two Deputy Chief Ministers -- Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho -- accompanied the Chief Minister during the meeting with the Union Rural Development Minister at the latter’s residence in New Delhi.

The CMO official said that Central Minister Chouhan warmly received the three Manipur leaders and assured them of all possible assistance in their efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the state.

Earlier this month, the Manipur government had submitted a proposal for a special project under PMAY-G for the construction of 5,000 houses for IDPs affected by ethnic violence, he said.

Acting on the proposal, the Union Rural Development Ministry also approved a special window of the Awas Plus 2024 household survey to capture details of eligible affected families.

The state government has further been permitted to continue the registration process of eligible beneficiaries under the special PMAY-G project, the official said.

However, the Union Rural Development Ministry directed the state government to ensure that beneficiaries under the special project are identified strictly in accordance with PMAY-G guidelines.

The identification and uploading of details of eligible beneficiaries must be completed through the Awas Plus 2024 mobile application. The houses will be constructed as per the provisions laid down in the Framework for Implementation (FFI) of PMAY-G.

The state government has also been allowed to sanction houses for eligible beneficiaries under the special project who had earlier received one or more instalments under PMAY-G, but whose houses were destroyed during the ethnic violence that broke out in May 2023. Chief Minister Khemchand Singh has been in New Delhi since February 21, marking his first visit to the national capital after taking oath as Manipur’s new BJP Chief Minister on February 4.

On Monday, the Chief Minister met Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jyotiraditya Scindia, who assured that his Ministry would coordinate with other Union Ministries to address key issues concerning Manipur. Khemchand Singh also met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, who assured him of all possible assistance to revive the state's financial health and economy.

The Chief Minister further held discussions with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who assured full cooperation and support from his Ministry for all initiatives of the Manipur government.

Accompanied by the two Deputy Chief Ministers, the Manipur Chief Minister also separately met BJP National President Nitin Nabin and the party’s National General Secretary (Organisation) B. L. Santhosh, during which party-related matters concerning Manipur were discussed.

Earlier, on February 22, the Chief Minister, along with the two Deputy Chief Ministers, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss a range of issues, including the rehabilitation of internally displaced persons, officials said.

According to the CMO official, the Home Minister discussed with the Manipur leadership the steps initiated by the new state government to remove barriers between different communities and to restore peace and harmony across the state.