Govt planning ID cards for border dwellers: RK Ranjan
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, July 23 2022:
Union minister of
state for external affairs and
education Dr RK Ranjan has
said that Chandel district
being a district sharing border with Myanmar needs
constant screening to prevent entry of Myanmarese
nationals and the government is considering for issuing identity cards to border
citizens of the district.
Dr Ranjan disclosed this
after inspecting Chandel district, which is one among
more than 200 under-developed districts of the country identified as aspirational
district and given special
attention since the year 2018
to develop them at par with
other districts.
Sharing findings of his inspection on Saturday with
media persons, RK Ranjan
said that Chandel is the
lone district from Manipur
identified as aspirational
district and it still requires
additional attention to bring
development at par with
other districts.
Other aspirational districts of the
country are heading towards
development but eight such
districts of the North East
still remain underdeveloped
and the reason behind this
need to be looked into carefully, he said.
According to RK Ranjan,
10 percent of the Union
budget is being earmarked
for North Eastern states and
ground surveys are being
conducted to find out reasons behind difficulties faced
in bringing development.
Many Union ministers had
visited Chandel district and
condition of the road up to
the district headquarters
is very good now.
Overall
growth of a district is based
on 7/8 items and index of
these items shows some
growth but some 7/8 sectors still need additional
attention, he said.
While informing that education sector in Chandel
district lags behind other
districts, RK Ranjan said that
Manipur remains at seventh
stage when compared with
school and higher secondary level of the country and
education sector of Chandel
district is worse and the reason for this will be identified.
Manipur's education system
needs modification and requires infrastructures, he
said, adding that the state
would not be able to compete with other states of the
country if education sector
is not improved and ensured
requisite infrastructures.
He also said that education
sector figured in the state list
earlier but Central government now deals this sector
with the introduction of
Right to Education.
On health sector, the Union minister said
that the health infrastructure has improved
in Chandel district than what was there in
the past eight years but still lacks trained
personnel to handle infrastructures and have
no expert.
Health sector of the district lacks
manpower and hence need more attention
while district is bereft of specialist doctors,
he added.
On drinking water facility, RK Ranjan said
that most of the villages in Chandel district
have been covered under Jal Jeevan Mission
of the Government of India but the district
has some weakness in water delivery system.
There were signs of shortage of water pipes in
the district and the matter will be apprised
to the chief minister soon, he added.
The Union minister further said that Chandel district borders with Myanmar and there
is report of Myanmarese nationals entering
the state through the district.
Accordingly,
government is considering to issue identity
cards to border citizens of the district and the
matter will be highlighted to the Union home
ministry, he said and stressed the need for
providing more fund to the district.