PIB Imphal organises media workshop 'Vartalap' in Bishnupur
media's role in creating awareness on Govt schemes stressed
Source: The Sangai Express / PIB

Imphal, December 21 2018: Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, Imphal organised a one-day media workshop 'Vartalap' at the conference hall of Hotel Lake View, Moirang in Bishnupur district on Friday.

The media workshop was inaugurated by Konjengbam Anand, Principal Moirang College by lighting the inaugural lamp of the workshop in presence of Abdul Hamid, Deputy Director PIB, Imphal and Khogendro Khomdram, Editor, The Sangai Express (Manipuri edition) among others.

Media and Communication Officer (MCO) PIB Imphal Premlata Loitam welcomed the dignitaries and said that the workshop was organised considering the need of assimilating the media about the Government sponsored programmes schemes for the people.

Abdul Hamid, Deputy Director PIB, Imphal, in his key note, said that the workshop aimed to equip the journalists with thorough knowledge of Government sponsored welfare programmes being implemented in the State.

Editor of The Sangai Express (Manipuri edition) Khogendro Khomdram in his address as guest of honour, said that such workshop will help media persons know the details of the flagship programmes and schemes.

Thorough knowledge of the schemes will help disseminate the required and important information to the public, he said and encouraged media persons to learn about the welfare programmes and schemes of the Government so that they can play greater and more enhancing role in spreading awareness about the programmes.

Government must also take the service of media in assimilating its policy and programmes to the people of all sections.

Media can also play big roles in bringing good governance in the State, he added.

Principal Konjengbam Anand, in his address as chief guest of the inaugural function, highlighted the important of organising the workshop.

Observing that generally people have a little knowledge on various welfare schemes of the Government, he said that if media persons give a detail of the programme while writing their reports, people will become familiar with the welfare schemes and avail the benefits of the Government initiatives.

The inaugural function was followed by technical session in which four resource persons talked on different schemes of the Government currently implemented in Bishnupur district.

Mid-Day Meal (MDM) Programme in Bishnupur district
Talking on the implementation status of the mid-day meal in Bishnupur district, RK Ranjit Singh, Nodal Officer, Mid Day Meal, Bishnupur district said that a total of 114 primary schools and 97 upper primary schools were covered during 2018 in the district.

He said that of the total 11,170 children enrolled in primary and upper primary schools across the district, the MDM was able to cover 91"% (10,163).Of the 7,960 children enrolled in the primary level schools, 7,144 (90%) were covered and of the 3,210 children enrolled in upper primary schools, 3,019 (94%) have been covered by the scheme.

He claimed that the number of children enrolled under the scheme has declined since Government introduced Aadhaar linking system.

District Education Office and school authorities face problems implementing the scheme due to untimely release of funds meant, he added.

Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (Gramin) in respect of Bishnupur
L Gokulchandra Singh, Executive Engineer Public Health Engineering Bishnupur district who talked on the scheme reminded the history of the evolution of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan while asserting that the mission mainly aims to make India an open defecation free country.

It seeks to improve the levels of cleanliness in rural areas through Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities and making Gram Panchayats Open Defecation Free (ODF), clean and sanitised, he said.

He claimed that Bishnupur was first to be declared open defecation free (ODF) district among the valley districts of Manipur and second among all disjricts of the State after Senapati district.

The district was declared ODF in March 2018, the resource person said while asserting that during the survey conducted in 2014, 19,695 (45%) of the total 34,133 households in the district were found to have no sanitary toilets.

50% of the total 1,42,386 households across the State were found to have no sanitary latrine, he added.

The construction of sanitary latrines for the 19,695 households in Bishnupur district, with Government contribution of Rs 12,000 per latrine, was completed in March 2018, paving the way for declaration of the district as ODF district.

He further called on all stakeholders to save the largest freshwater lake in North-East, Laoktak Lake.

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Bishnupur
Free text books were provided to a total of 10,422 students - 4935 boys and 5487-enrolled in Government and Government aided schools across Bishnupur district in March 2018, according to Gojen Singh, DPM, SSA Scheme of the district.

All children from Class I to VIII are eligible for getting free textbooks under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) which is being implemented in Bishnupur as in other districts, he said.

A total of 8,409 including 3,907 boys and 4,502 girls have been provided free school uniforms under the scheme.

All the students except general category boys, who belong to Government schools, were also provided free uniform @ Rs 400 per unit, he said.

The funds were E-transfer to the school management committee (SMC) bank accounts and the uniforms were purchased by the SMC concerned itself, he said.

Identification of children with special needs and providing them with aids and appliances, are also done by the authority under the scheme, he added.

Digital India
'Digital India', an ambitious programme launched in July 2015, embarked on to transform the country into a "digitally empowered society and knowledge economy, said Prasanta Oinam, district manager, District e-governance Society, Bishnupur district.

Work for connecting all Gram Panchayats across the country with high speed optical fibre network is being taken up in the State.

The same work of connecting the GPs in the district has been completed.

However, internet connection is yet to be provided, he said.

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