'Invite UPA Chairperson, PM to Orange Festival'
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, September 10 2011:
The Zeliangrong Youth Front (ZYF) has appealed to the organizing committee of the Orange Festival held every year at Tamenglong to invite Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh and UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
In a press release today, ZYF stated that the Orange Festival is celebrated every year at Tamenglong district for the last about ten years.
However no change is seen and no incentives or any other benefits are provided to the growers so far apart from some cash award given to best orange growers.
The celebration of this important festival without extending necessary support will only discourage the growers to participate in the festival and cause lack of interest to further continue the profession especially when their hard toils involving several years is not appreciated, it stated.
The objective of the government of encouraging people to earn a livelihood by adopting income generating activities as substitute to government employment may prove futile without proper guidance and necessary support, it added.
ZYF also stated that the presence of Manmohan or Sonia Gandhi or Union Ministers will add more meaning and significance.
The release further stated that the Zeliangrong people strongly object to the policy of the organizing committee of organizing the Orange Festival in Imphal this year unlike in previous years of the festival.
While terming the festival as the main factor for the popularity of Tamenglong district to the outside world, ZYF appealed for celebration of the festival in Tamenglong and not at any other places.