Tripartite meeting: Manipur Govt agrees to discuss rollback of 7 districts in April
The state government has agreed to present a formal proposal on the matter in the next round of talks, scheduled for April 2025.;
Tripartite talks on Manipur district creation
Imphal, Jan 30: A tripartite discussion involving the Central government, the Manipur State government, and the United Naga Council (UNC) was held on Thursday in Manipur’s Senapati district.
The meeting, chaired by Advisor (Northeast) to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), A.K. Mishra, focused on the long-standing demand for the rollback of seven districts created in 2016.
After thorough deliberation, it was mutually agreed that the Manipur government would present a rollback proposal in the next round of talks, scheduled for April 2025.
According to a joint statement signed by representatives of all three parties, the discussions primarily centered on the Manipur government’s decision to create seven new districts through a notification issued on December 8, 2016. The UNC, a prominent Naga apex body, has been protesting against this decision, demanding a reversal of the district reorganization.
Manipur currently has 16 districts following the formation of seven new districts:
- Tengnoupal (bifurcated from Chandel),
- Kamjong (from Ukhrul),
- Pherzawl (from Churachandpur),
- Kangpokpi (from Senapati),
- Jiribam (from Imphal East),
- Kakching (from Thoubal),
- and Noney (from Tamenglong).
The creation of these districts had led to widespread protests from the Naga community, who view the decision as detrimental to their administrative and territorial interests.
The meeting saw participation from key stakeholders, including UNC President Ng Lorho, General Secretary Vareiyo Shatsang, All Naga Students’ Association Manipur (ANSAM) President M Luikang Luckson, and Naga Women’s Union President Ch Priscilla Thuimai.
The Manipur government was represented by Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh and Home Commissioner N Ashok Kumar, while the Centre was represented by Advisor A.K. Mishra. In total, eight government officials and 12 UNC delegates attended the meeting.
The tripartite discussions concluded with an agreement that the Manipur government would formulate and present a detailed proposal on the rollback demand in April 2025. The outcome of the next meeting is expected to play a crucial role in determining whether the seven districts will be retained or restructured in response to the UNC’s demands.
