New cabinet assignment: Manipur government appoints key ministers; Cabinet expansion likely post-budget session

Imphal: In a bid to streamline governance, the Manipur govt on Wednesday distributed key portfolios among the chief minister, his two deputies and two ministers under Rule 6(1) of the Rules of Business.The move comes exactly a month after chief minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh and his council of ministers were sworn in on Feb 4, following nearly a year of President’s Rule in the state.Khemchand has retained charge of all departments not specifically allotted to other ministers.Deputy chief minister Nemcha Kipgen, from the Kuki-Zo community, has been entrusted with the rural development & panchayati raj and tribal affairs & hills departments — portfolios central to grassroots governance and tribal welfare.

Deputy chief minister Losii Dikho, representing the Naga community, has been assigned the public health engineering department along with forest, environment & climate change, placing him at the helm of water supply, sanitation, and environmental governance.In a crucial assignment, minister Konthoujam Govindas Singh has taken charge of the home department, in addition to youth affairs & sports.Minister Khuraijam Loken Singh will oversee arts & culture and tourism — sectors vital for safeguarding Manipur’s heritage and boosting its economic potential through tourism.

Loken is notably the only first-time minister in the Khemchand-led cabinet.Article 164 of the Constitution mandates that the number of ministers, including the chief minister, shall not be less than 12. Sources said cabinet expansion is likely after the upcoming budget session of the Manipur assembly.Several MLAs are reportedly vying for key portfolios, while Manipuri Muslim organisations have appealed to the CM to induct at least one Muslim legislator into the cabinet.With the govt’s tenure set to end in about a year ahead of assembly elections expected in early 2027, cabinet expansion is expected to be finalised soon.