Phungzathang Belittles Outcry Against Cancellation Of State PMT
Five demands passed, PMT cancellation defended
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 19 2013:
Health Minister Phungzathang Tonsing has belittled the raging protests against the cancellation of MBBS/BDS entrance examination in the State as an outcry by citizens naive on the issue.
As the State Cabinet has already announced decision to entertain admission for medical courses based on the result of CBSE conducted NEET, the present protests/outcry seem to be the work of parents/guardians whose wards failed to qualify in the NEET scheme of admission, expressed the Minister during today's discussion on demand in the State Assembly.
After the customary debate on relevant issues, the House approved five demands comprising of Rs 378,31,57,000 for Medical, Health & Family Welfare; Labour & employment - Rs 14,84,50,000; Forest and Environment - Rs 173,10,19,000; Community Development & ALP, IRDP & NRIP - Rs 212,05,44,000; and Public Health Engineering - Rs 181,60,21,000 .
Contrary to report published in the some dailies about the Government's legal representative unable to furnish documents on the Supreme Court ruling pertaining to MBBS/BDS entrance examination, Phungzathang explained that a Supreme Court decree on May 13 instructed that MBBS/BDS entrance examinations would be valid for those States where the medical entrance tests were conducted prior to the apex court ruling.
As said test was not held in Manipur before the Court decree the State Cabinet consequently resolved to follow the NEET result, said the Minister.
On the other hand, noting importance of forests in checking global ecological imbalance, forest and Environment Minister Thoudam Debendra Singh accepted that protecting the forests is a challenging task.
Deliberating at the demand discussion in today's sitting of the monsoon session, he stated that occupation of forest land by about 70,000 families has led to the loss of nearly 3600 hectares of forest cover in the State.
In Manipur protecting the forests is synonymous to tackling illegal encroachment of protected areas compared to Karnataka and Assam States where the task is mostly related to preventing poachers from smuggling elephant and rhino tusks, said the Minister while advocating that an effective legislation is inevitable to face the challenge.
While a citizen can plant any variety of tree for which the Central Government periodically works out specific afforestation programmes permission of the Forest department is a necessity before felling a single tree in forest area, reminded the Minister.
When the demand for Public Health Engineering Department and Labour came up for discussion, Minister I Hemochandra said that a significant change would be visible in water supply system in Imphal areas.
Citing whimsical intervention by both PHED officials and MLAs as some of the factors for disarray in the water supply system, he informed that efforts are being made to develop skill amongst the unskilled wage earners through institutionalised training.
To achieve the objective, three ITI centres would be set up in the State at Sekmai and irong Chesaba areas, said the Minister.
On the otherhand, panchayati Raj and Rural Development Minister Francis Ngajokpa conceding anomalies in the implementation of PMGSY projects in the State assured the members that all possible initiatives would be taken to rectify the errant.
Responding to Trinamool Congress MLA Dr Ibohalbi's suggestion that some fallacious employees in DRDA office be transferred to other departments to facilitate judicious implementation central Government-sponsored DRDA projects, Francis said the issue would be intimated to the Central authorities as well as discussed with the Chief Minister.
Apart from Dr Ibohalbi, opposition MLAs L Ibomcha, Th Shyamkumar, Th Bishorjit, RK Imo and P Brojen also joined the demand discussion.
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