Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 15 2010:
The Council of Tribal Literature Societies (CTLS), Manipur appreciated the Manipur government and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Government of India for launching AIR-FM station at Churchandpur on April 13 .
Ragoning Gangmei, chairman CTLS of the state said that major tribal languages should be promoted through dissemination of information and other important useful programmes from the FM station.
He pointed out that a new challenge is still there before the Manipur government to take-up causes of tribal ethnic languages in Manipur so that emotional disturbances among the people are removed where no one feels alienated but rather have the spirit of common belongingness in the state.
He elaborated that the Manipur government has been spending several crores of rupees for the animals at Iroishemba Zoological Garden and for the indigenous Sangai (a kind of deer) at Keibul Lamjao every year but apparently no fund is being allocated for the development of 34 tribal "languages" of Manipur in the state budget.
The tribal council asserted, "It is imperative that the state government to retrospect its own apathy for these "languages" for decades and take up the causes of tribal dialects in Manipur with a new challenge".