700 Seri FoUs as good as dead
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 06 2013 : Around 700 Field Operating Units (FoUs) of the Manipur Sericulture Project who availed financial assistance provided by the Government of Japan in the form of soft loan are almost as good as dead.

In accordance to an agreement signed between the Government of Japan and the Government of India, phase I of the Manipur Sericulture Project was implemented at the cost of Rs 137 crores provided by the Japanese Government in the form of soft loan.

After initial phase of the project was put into motion in 2002, execution of the project in full swing started by 2005 .

However, the Japanese Government has made it clear that it would not be providing any financial assistance for the second phase of Manipur Sericulture Project, also known as Japan Project.

On being enquired by the State Government officials about the Japanese Government's sudden withdrawal from the project, the Japanese officials only cited law and order problem and refused to give any other reason, sources said.

Saying that there were certain lapses in implementing the project's first phase, the officials maintained that the Government of Japan's attempt to justify their decision only on the ground of law and order is not convincing enough.

When FoUs comprising of five members each were set up, there were very few members who were genuinely interested to work in sericulture sector.

With majority of the beneficiaries having limited knowledge about Manipur Sericulture Project, they saw only money.

This led to difference of opinion among FoU members and they assumed that they have a right to the money sanctioned for the project.

Guided by such a misconception, the FoU members only took money without doing any work.

Even as some members worked sincerely while majority of the colleagues simply sat idle, the latter group too came demanding money when any fund was released.

Ultimately, all the FoUs became as good as dead.

Life span for the first phase of the project is five years.

But the first phase was extended up to 2008 on account of delay in releasing the State's and the Government of India's share.

Apart from lack of efficiency of the part of concerned State officials as such project was implemented in the State for the first time, lack of sincerity on the part of officials plagued the project from the very beginning.

Even though around 700 FoUs are almost defunct, all is not lost.

As against the Government of Japan's production target of 40 per cent in the first phase, production rate in the first phase recorded 50 per cent.

Although the Govt of Japan has given up the project, the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India has agreed to provide necessary fund for executing second phase of the sericulture project.

Scientists and project modulators from the Central Silk Board have already inspected the existing FoUs for initiating the second phase.

It is crucial to rectify the lapses committed during the first phase if the State must exploit the benefits of its sericulture potential, added the sources.

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