New Delhi/Imphal, Feb 22 (IANS) Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh, accompanied by his two Deputy Chief Ministers — Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho, on Sunday, held a meeting with the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed various issues, including the rehabilitation of violence-affected Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), officials said.

A senior official in Imphal said that the Union Home Minister discussed with the three Manipur leaders the steps taken by the new state government to remove barriers between different communities and restore peace and harmony.

“Ever since the Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government was installed in Manipur, the state government has undertaken several outreach programmes with the aim of fostering peace and harmony among communities,” the official said, referring to the discussions held during the meeting at the Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence in New Delhi.

The union Home Minister assured Chief Minister Khemchand Singh and the Deputy Chief Ministers — Nemcha Kipgen and Losii Dikho — of all possible assistance from the Central government to help restore peace and normalcy in the state.

Union Minister Shah also assured the Chief Minister that the Centre would extend all necessary support for the overall development and progress of Manipur, the official added.

The Union Home Minister also directed Chief Minister Khemchand Singh to accord utmost priority to the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons affected by ethnic violence and assured full support from the Centre in this regard.

This was the first meeting between CM Khemchand Singh and Union Home Minister Shah after the former assumed office as Manipur’s Chief Minister on February 4 this year.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by his two Deputy Chief Ministers — Losii Dikho of the Naga People’s Front, and Nemcha Kipgen of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Kipgen, who belongs to the Kuki community and hails from the tribal-inhabited Kangpokpi district, is the first woman Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur.

After the meeting with the Union Home Minister Shah, CM Khemchand Singh took to social media platform X and wrote: “We had a detailed and constructive discussion on key issues concerning Manipur, including measures for peace, stability, rehabilitation and progress.”

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah conveyed his firm assurance that the Central government will extend every possible assistance to ensure the early resettlement and rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs),” the Chief Minister said.

“On behalf of the people of Manipur, I express my sincere gratitude to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his continued support, guidance, and commitment towards the welfare of our State,” he added.

–IANS

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