CM hands e-autos, rickshaws to beneficiaries
Source: The Sangai Express / DIPR
Imphal, April 07 2021:
To promote e-mobility, Chief Minister N Biren Singh distributed e-autos and e-rickshaws to 65 beneficiaries including nine women at a formal function held today at Kangla.
The function was organized by the Directorate of Environment and Climate Change, Manipur.
On the occasion, the CM raised concern on the water scarcity faced due to large scale deforestation and appealed to the people to be responsible and contribute in preserving nature.
He also stressed on the need to replace all the diesel autos operating in the State with e-autos by providing grants and loans so that air and noise pollution levels could be mitigated to a certain level.
The Chief Minister expressed that he is glad about the courage shown by the women beneficiaries to come up with such occupation on one hand and also felt sad about the circumstances that compelled them to take up such occupation on the other hand.
N Biren informed that the Government had been providing scholarships for coaching to civil service aspirants of the State, adding that the Government had consulted reputed civil service coaching institutes operating outside the State to open its unit here.
The Government is also in the process of coming up with a proper plan to start the coaching class from June this year, he said and maintained that aspirants need not go outside the State once the coaching classes start, he added.
Acknowledging that the State has many talented youths with certain innovative ideas and the Government had also extended assistance and encouragement to hardworking young entrepreneurs through its Manipur Startup Scheme, the CM continued that interview for selection of innovative entrepreneurs for providing loans under the scheme is in process and will be over within a month.
A provision for providing such loans had been put in the budget, he added.
Speaking on the increasing cases of COVID-19 at an alarming rate in some States, the Chief Minister stated that the Government had taken up certain measures to contain the spread of the pandemic giving utmost priority to saving peoples' lives.
He expressed gratefulness for the support and co-operation shown by the people to the Government in taking up such measures, confirming the Government is committed to bringing overall development in the State.
Forest and Environment Minister Awangbow Newmai, Education Minister Sorokhaibam Rajen, Chief Secretary Dr Rajesh Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary MH Khan, Managing Director, Manipur State Co-operative Bank A Subhash, Director, Environment and Climate Change Y Nabachandra and officials of the department attended the programme among others.
It may be mentioned that Rs 1,40,000 each is provided to the beneficiaries as a grant by the Government for the purchase of the e-auto/rickshaw and the remaining amount is provided through a loan by Manipur State Co-operative Bank.
The steps to provide such benefit is taken up under Manipur State Action Plan on Climate Change (SAPCC), to address the existing as well as future challenges of climate change.