A Perfect Alibi
- Hueiyen Lanpao Editorial :: July 10 , 2013 -

None could deny the crippling impact of the armed insurgency and the related violence on the socio-economic activities of the people in Manipur for the last many years.

And, it is also true that taking up arms in the name of 'public cause' has become a fad and the easiest way for some disgruntled elements to impose their writ on everyone to bring them to their knees.

From the demand for paying 'taxes' even from a road side 'Pan Dukan' to the percentage cut on every developmental projects taken up, and from placing bombs even at private houses and schools as threats in case of failing to fall in line to giving sleepless nightmare to many a Government officials in charge of developmental projects and schemes, the impact of insurgency and its resultant insecurity in Manipur is indeed far and wide and it is felt by everyone, everywhere and every day of their breathing lives.

So, how could anybody deny this fact? Nonetheless, on the other end of the spectrum, there have been occasions when the same suffering people and Government officials use the name of insurgency as a perfect alibi for their own failure of doing something worthwhile, and MLAs, Ministers and even the Chief Minister himself has been no exception when it comes to putting the blame on insurgency for the deteriorating law and order situation in the State.

Time and again, the Government of Manipur has been claiming and citing the prevailing law and order situation in the State as the main reason for the failure of the Japan Government-funded Manipur Sericulture Project and the unwillingness of the Japanese officials to come to Manipur for continued funding of the project for the second phase.

But the truth is far from this. If one goes by the 'Ex-Post Evaluation Report on the Manipur Sericulture Project' prepared by the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) at the end of phase-I, more than anything else, it is the inherent weakness of the implementing agency that has resulted in failure of achieving the target set.

Even though the project aimed to increase cocoon and raw silk production, by introducing sericulture in an organized manner for improving the living standard of the poor in the state, JICA had been shocked to find that even the selection criteria for beneficiaries at the basic level was flawed, thus, resulting in sluggish activities of the Field Operating Units (FoUs).

In fact, it was said to be a difficult task for JICA representatives who had conducted the Ex-Post Evaluation survey to even locate and organise meeting with at least 125 farmers from 25 FoUs, out of the 1000 FoUs supposedly formed for implementation of the project, not to speak of the Mulberry plantation sites supposedly taken up over 1700 hectares of land.

In such a situation, who would ever think of continued funding for a lost cause?

Anyway, it is good to hear the reassurance given by the Chief Minister that the Sericulture Project in Manipur would go on with funding from the Union Ministry of Textile.

But what is important here is to learn from the experiences of Japan Project for ensuring success of any project to be taken up in the State and not look for an alibi when the project fails to take off the ground.