Hundreds of internally displaced persons (IDPs) sheltered at the Sajiwa and Sawombung relief camps in Imphal East on November 5 staged a strong protest against the government’s new Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system for ration allowances, returning their entire November month allocation amounting to ₹11,74,320.

The protest erupted after the introduction of the DBT scheme reportedly reduced the ration allowance meant for purchasing rice from ₹20 to just ₹4 per person. Agitated IDPs stormed the office of the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) at Sawombung, condemning the government’s move as “insensitive and insulting.”

When they found the SDO absent, the IDPs engaged with available staff and later handed over the total amount of ₹11,74,320 — the November allowance for 466 displaced persons —

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