IMPHAL :  Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh informed the Manipur assembly on Thursday (August 01) that a total of 226 individuals, including women and children, have lost their lives in the ongoing ethnic violence in the state.

The Manipur government has so far provided Rs 14.6 crore in ex-gratia payments to the next of kin of those killed, informed CM Biren Singh.

This was informed by Manipur CM N Biren Singh in response to a query raised by Congress MLA Surjakumar Okram during the question hour on the second day of the ongoing Manipur assembly session.

The violence in Manipur, which began on May 3 last year, has thus far claimed the lives of 226 individuals from the two warring communities – Kukis and Meiteis.

The central and Manipur governments have jointly provided ex-gratia payments of Rs 10 lakhs each to the families of 146 victims, sharing the cost equally. 

Addressing a supplementary question on why ex-gratia payments have not yet been made for the remaining 80 victims, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, who also holds the finance portfolio, stated that the process for these payments is ongoing and delayed due to various reasons.