Committed to bring normalcy in Manipur, says Sitharaman

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said the central government is committed to bringing normalcy to Manipur and assured all support for the economic growth of the state. Replying to a discussion on the passage of the Manipur Budget for the current fiscal and vote of account for the six months of 2025-26 in the Rajya Sabha, the minister also sought the support of the Opposition parties for peace in Manipur instead of engaging in the blame game.She added that violence in Manipur has adversely impacted economic activities in the state but expressed confidence that it will recover swiftly. Sitharaman informed the House that Rs 913 crore have been given under Special Assistance for State Capital Investment for 2024-25.

₹913 crores have been given under Special Assistance for State Capital Investment for 2024-25. We have also created a Contingency Fund for Manipur with ₹500 crores allocated to them, says @nsitharaman On Manipur Budget & Manipur Supplementary Demands in #RS
@FinMinIndia pic.twitter.com/slP74cGHfQ

— SansadTV (@sansad_tv) March 18, 2025

The senior minister also hit back at the Opposition for its criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi not visiting the violence-affected state, saying none of the prime ministers in the past visited Manipur when the violence took place there. She cited the names of former prime ministers PV Narasimha Rao and IK Gujral.Sitharaman stated that in 1993 when Manipur was under Congress rule and Rajkumar Dorendra Singh was the chief minister, a major flare-up between Nagas and Kukis led to the death of 750 people and the burning down of 350 villages. However, neither the then Prime Minister PV Narsimha Rao nor Home Minister Shankarrao Chavan visited the state.
According to the finance minister, the Congress was in power from 2002 to 2017 in Manipur and at the Centre till 2014 during which the state witnessed 620 bandhs, several blockades and a loss of Rs 2,828 crore to the state exchequer. She reminded the Opposition that in 2011, the worst economic blockade lasting over 120 days caused severe shortages of essential commodities shooting up petrol prices at Rs 200 per litre and LPG cylinders at Rs 2,000 per cylinder but still no minister visited the state.
"Currently, there are 286 companies of CAPF and 137 companies of the Army and Assam Rifles are deployed along with the state police to maintain law and order in the state. Looted arms and ammunition are being recovered. Steps are being taken to ensure free movement along the national highway. Convoy movements carrying essential commodities are continuing to ensure the availability of essential commodities in the state," she added.