Rs 430 crore for PMGSY likely to be sanctioned: Khemchand
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, March 09 2026:
The Government of India is likely to sanction Rs 430 crore for PMGSY Phase-I and Phase-II for Manipur State, said Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand in the State Assembly today.
The Chief Minister was answering to queries of Opposition member Okram Ibobi when he informed the Assembly of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) .
During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor's address, former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi inquired about the PMGSY, law and order situation and issues related to rehabilitation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) .
Answering to the queries, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand informed that the Central Government is likely to sanction Rs 430 crore for PMGSY Phase-I and Phase-II for Manipur.
The PMGSY Phase-I and Phase-II have not been cancelled for Manipur State.
This was informed by the Centre after meeting with Union Ministers in Delhi recently, Khemchand said.
During the recent meeting in Delhi, Khemchand said, the Union Ministers were informed about the loss of machinery worth over Rs 50 crore in the Manipur conflict.
On the other hand, the PMGSY Phase-III was cancelled for Manipur due to "certain cases and issues".
However, the Centre has assured to sanction the Phase-III's amount after approval of the Union Cabinet, Khemchand said.
The PMGSY is a flagship scheme of the Government of India to improve rural road connectivity.
Khemchand said 70 percent of the rural roads in Manipur are in the hills.
Answering queries regarding the law and order, Khemchand said the "situation is known to all"--how people spent nights on the streets.
He said the number of Central security forces stationed in Manipur depends on the prevailing situation.
Many of the security forces are likely to leave Manipur for elections in other States, Khemchand said.
On the internally displaced persons (IDPs), Khemchand said the Government understands the desire of the displaced persons on both sides staying in relief camps to return to their respective homes.
Reconciliation will take time, but the situation has improved somewhat, he said.
Members of both communities are now able to sit together, and the fear of travelling on the road [to Imphal] has reduced.
A Paite person from Churachandpur was able to safely visit his mother-in-law in Imphal recently, Khemchand said.
Government alone can't bring complete normalcy.
All the stakeholders in the State must work collectively to bring about complete normalcy, he added.
Notably, during the discussion on the Motion of Thanks, Okram Ibobi asserted that the newly revived State Government must prioritise to improve law and order situation.
Many small scale industries in the State have shut operations due to unfavourable law and order situation.
The closure of such industries have compounded the issue of non-employment among the youth and affected the economy of the State, Ibobi said.
He further asked if the Government has precise information/number of persons displaced and killed in the Manipur conflict since May 3, 2023 .
He demanded the Government to materialise its promises to compensate families for their personal and material losses.
"When the promises are kept and justice is delivered, people will rest their trust in the Government," he said.
During the discussion, CLP leader Keisham Meghachandra contended that the Governor's address didn't reflect realities on the ground.
The Governor has failed to see the suffering of the people, and is unfortunate, he said.
The Governor's address didn't mention about the flood last year that affected many households.
Many of the victims are still unable to reconstruct their houses, Meghachandra said.
With no development programmes prepared in the last three years, the MLAs are unable to carry out any development activities, he said, seeking the Government to release a special package for development.
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