Tribal federation threatens economic blockade
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 18 2012:
Non release of pending pre-matric scholarship to religious minority within five days will be followed by economic blockade, threatened Federation of All Tribal Youth Club, Manipur.
Speaking to newspersons at Manipur Press Club today, Federation president R Asing said that some students under the religious minority group have already received pre-matric scholarship for the 2009-2010 session.
Informing that the scholarship is paid under a specific scheme of the Ministry of Minority Affairs, he maintained that out of a total of 87 schools in the hill districts of Manipur students of 24 schools are yet to get their scholarship.
stating that the departments of Tribal Development and MOBC are the scholarship implementing agencies in the State, Asing questioned on what ground scholarship to over 1200 students of the 24 schools are being denied the financial assistance.
Noting that the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh is also in charge of the MOBC department, he demanded that the pending scholarship should be released within five days failing which economic blockade would be enforced on the National Highways to protest the Government's indifferent attitude on the issue.
He also suggested that transparency in governance and appointment of an MOBC director from amongsts the minority commnuity could have effectively solved the issue.
The Federation president also conveyed that a memorandum on the said issue has been submitted to the Union Minister of Minority Affairs in which failure of the State Government to provide the scholarship has been highlighted.