Manipur government finalises Cabinet portfolios, Losii Dikho gets PHE, Forests & Environment

A month after assuming office following the revocation of President’s Rule, the Manipur government on Wednesday, March 4, officially announced the allocation of portfolios among members of the state Cabinet, signalling the completion of a crucial administrative step in restoring full-fledged governance in the state.

According to a formal notification issued by the government, Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh will oversee any department not specifically allocated to other ministers, thereby retaining overall supervisory control across the administration.

Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen has been entrusted with the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj as well as Tribal Affairs and Hills departments — portfolios considered critical in a state marked by complex ethnic and regional dynamics. Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Losii Dikho has been assigned the Public Health Engineering and Forests, Environment and Climate Change departments.

Among other key allocations, Minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh, MLA from Bishnupur, has been given charge of the influential Home department along with Youth Affairs & Sports. Minister Khuraijam Loken Singh, MLA from Wangoi, will head the Arts & Culture and Tourism departments.

The portfolio distribution comes after President’s Rule in Manipur was revoked on February 4, paving the way for the swearing-in of a new government led by Chief Minister Khemchand Singh, along with two deputy chief ministers and other Cabinet members.

The state had been under central rule since February 13, 2024, days after former Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned on February 9, 2024. The political transition marked a significant shift in the state’s administrative trajectory.