CM allays fear over losing State's special category status
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, December 19 2013: Chief Minister Okram Ibobi has categorically stated that the State Government had strongly reacted to the Finance Ministry against the report of RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan Panel and there should be no apprehension of losing the State's special category status.

He was speaking during the discussion of Matter of Public Interest taken up by MLA Dr I Ibohalbi during the second and last sitting of 6th Session of 10th Manipur Legislative Assembly today.

Ibobi further said that the State Government had written a letter to the Finance Ministry soon after Raghuram Rajan Panel submitted its report to the Central Government.

After that, he met the Prime Minister and the Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission reacting to the report and urging them to look into the exclusion of Manipur from the special category states.

The Raghuram Panel report was framed based only on 10 development indexes of the States.

Manipur cannot be pulled out from the special category states with just mere improvement in education and reduction in child mortality.

The State Government had already termed the report as "wrong" and it would not be implemented by the Centre very soon as yet.

Moreover, the Central Government is looking into the report very minutely.

There should be no apprehension regarding loss of Manipur's special category status as the Central leaders have given full assurance to the State Government for necessary measures, the Chief Minister affirmed.

While raising the Matter of Public Interest, Dr Ibohalbi said that the Raghuram Rajan Panel has included Manipur among the moderately developed states of India and it is likely to lose its special category status in the future.

The State's economy would be in haywire if the Centre withdraws its 90 percent share in all major development schemes and programmes, the MLA noted.

On the other hand, MLA RK Imo also took up a Matter of Public Interest in the House proposing the State Government to maintain a permanent site for organizing the Sangai Festival.

Chief Minister Okram Ibobi replied that the State Government is still looking for the site.

The site, once finalized, would be developed in consultation with architects and experts in the field of art and culture.

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