Outsiders feasting on border trade: Meghachandra
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, March 01 2023:
Asserting that Indo-Myanmar border trade has tremendous potential to provide employment and business opportunities to youth of the state, Congress MLA K Meghachandra has urged the government to take up special policies for enabling the local youth to reap maximum benefits from the new opportunities instead of just becoming labourers.
He made the observation during the discussion on demand for grant of textile, commerce and industries in the assembly on Wednesday.
Congress MLA Th Lokeshwar also participated in the discussion and placed his observation.
Moving a policy cut motion, Meghachandra said that Indo-Myanmar trade is a golden opportunity for the state to bring socio-economic development.
Unfortunately, traders and businessmen from other states are enjoying the benefits due to lack of policies in the state.
Lots of timbers and betel nuts are being transported into the state from Myanmar and yet the state government is not getting a single tax from these imported products.
Betel nuts are in high demand in Mumbai and UP, not only for consumption but also for dyeing purpose.
The state could take benefits of such opportunities by setting up dyeing industries, he said.
He also said that train service has reached Tamenglong but only with 10 or 20 passengers.
Though there are seven to eight daily flight services in the state, number of Manipuri passengers in each flight is only about 10 to 20 while the rest are outsiders.
These figures show how people from other states are enjoying benefits of the new opportunities emerging from the border trade.
Some of them have even become millionaire just by importing atta (flour) from Myanmar but none of them are local people.
At the same time, truck-loads of bicycles are exported to Myanmar and this trade is also handled by traders from other states.
The only involvement of the state in the cross-border trade is some women, who deal in some trivial products in low volume of some thousand rupees.
This will not bring development in the state, he said while stressing the need for state natives involving in the cross-border trade in larger proportion.
The opposition member further said that in the past assembly session, he proposed to set up one industry in each assembly constituency and promote an environment of competition among the units in order to boost industrialisation in the state.
The minister concerned also acknowledged the proposal and assured of looking into it.
However, no initiatives have been taken up till date, he said.
He then proposed to the government to provide financial assistance for setting up a rice based industry in his constituency with a scope of providing employment to around 500 households.
In response, textiles, commerce and industries minister Nemcha Kipgen informed the House that the state government is taking up initiatives to promote industries and there are six industrial estates in the state.
Process is on for setting up two industrial estates in Imphal East and Senapati districts.
Besides, proposal had been sent to the ministry for setting up one industrial estate in each of the newly created district, she said.
Nemcha also informed that the government has approved a new industrial policy after consulting stakeholders, businessmen and industry leaders of the state.
She further said that Indo-Myanmar Border Trade Agreement was signed on January 21, 1994 and trade began from April 22, 1995 with only 18 approved items.
The approved items have been increased to 62, she added.
Regarding the textiles sector, the minister said that there are two types of weavers' cards.
Registered weavers under the State government's scheme are provided financial assistance under MUDRA loan and other schemes.
On the other hand, Pehchan card is provided by the Centre and an agency called M/s Karbi Data Management Service Private Limited is collecting data through All India Handloom Census.
The government had submitted a list of 2,24,684 weavers for Pehchan card, she said and urged the MLAs to submit list if there are interested weavers in their respective constituencies.
She also informed the House that the department had distributed looms to registered weavers under different projects.