Survivors in relief camps left high and dry
Our Correspondent
MOREH, Jul 15: At a time when people are surviving in relief camps with little means of earning, questions have been raised on the Government for stopping financial assistance to internally displaced students.
Designed to aid internally displaced students, the scheme was to give the students staying in boarding/hostels Rs 3000 monthly starting April 2024. The money is directly credited to their bank accounts.
While the internally displaced students staying in boarding/hostels received the Rs 3000 financial aid for April, they have not been given the assistance since May, said Committee on Protection of Meitei Victims, Moreh.
The committee's education secretary, Ningthoujam Samananda said the discontinuation of the aid has burdened the students and their families who are staying in relief camps.
The families who have been internally displaced and staying in relief camps don't have viable means of earning income. Almost all of them have lost their properties and hard earned money in the violence. They need the assistance to support education for their children, he said.
People in relief camps are making candles and incense sticks, but these are not enough to earn their livelihood. In such a dire situation, the parents supporting their children's education is impossible, he added.
Many of the internally displaced students are also staying with their relatives and in rented accommodations, and many of them have not been enrolled in relief camps.
They too need financial assistance from the Government, he said, urging the State Government to continue the scheme and provide the much needed assistance to all the internally displaced students.
Samananda further urged the Government to appoint a Nodal Officer to assist the students in getting the required documents.
Violence since May 3, 2023 in Manipur has killed over 2020 people and displaced more than 60,000 people.
The violence first started at the border area between Bishnupur and Churachand-pur district after ATSUM's rally turned violent.