Imphal, March 4
Exactly one month after the swearing-in ceremony, Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Wednesday allocated portfolios among the two Deputy Chief Ministers and two Cabinet Ministers, retaining most key departments under his charge, officials said. However, seven ministerial berths are still vacant.
Chief Secretary Puneet Kumar Goel, in a notification, said that on the advice of the Chief Minister, Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla allocated portfolios to the Ministers.
According to the notification, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department and the Tribal Affairs and Hills Department have been allocated to Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen.
The Public Health Engineering Department and the Forest, Environment and Climate Change Departments have been assigned to another Deputy Chief Minister, Losii Dikho.
The Home Department and the Youth Affairs and Sports Departments have been allotted to Konthoujam Govindas Singh, while the Arts and Culture Department and the Tourism Department have been allocated to Khuraijam Loken Singh.
Chief Minister Khemchand Singh, Nemcha Kipgen and Konthoujam Govindas Singh belong to the BJP, while Losii Dikho and Khuraijam Loken Singh are from the Naga People's Front (NPF) and the National People's Party (NPP), respectively.
The NPF is led by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, and the NPP is headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma.
A post on the Manipur government's official X handle stated: "This allocation marks an important step towards strengthening governance and ensuring focussed leadership across key departments."
Chief Minister Singh, along with the two Deputy Chief Ministers and two Cabinet Ministers, was sworn in on February 4 after President's Rule was revoked in the state.
However, as many as seven ministerial berths remain vacant.
The lone woman Minister and BJP MLA Nemcha Kipgen, who belongs to the Kuki community, took oath virtually as Deputy Chief Minister from Manipur Bhavan in New Delhi due to security reasons.
A senior BJP leader said that the expansion of the Council of Ministers would "definitely" take place after the Budget session of the Manipur Assembly, which is expected to be convened after the Holi festival.
On February 5, a one-day session of the state Assembly was held, during which Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla addressed the House.
Earlier, Chief Minister Khemchand Singh underscored that restoring peace and normalcy in the violence-hit state is a collective responsibility of all stakeholders, including elected representatives.
The 60-member Manipur Assembly, which was kept under suspended animation during President's Rule, has a tenure until 2027. The troubled state had been under President's Rule since February 13, 2025, four days after the then Chief Minister N. Biren Singh resigned amid prolonged ethnic violence.
On February 22, Chief Minister Khemchand Singh, accompanied by the two Deputy Chief Ministers, met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and discussed various issues, including the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) affected by ethnic violence.
An official from the Chief Minister's Office said that the Union Home Minister reviewed the new state government's initiatives aimed at removing barriers between communities and restoring peace and harmony in the state.
During his visit to New Delhi, the Chief Minister also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister for Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The Chief Minister and the two Deputy Chief Ministers also met BJP President Nitin Nabin and the party's National General Secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh and discussed various organisational matters.
- IANS
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