CTLLSM calls State budget disappointing, terms it most ugly
Source: The Sangai Express / Newmai News Network

Imphal, February 25 2019: The Council of Tribal Languages and Literature Societies, Manipur (CTLLSM) has expressed its unhappiness on the recently tabled budget of Manipur State Government terming it as the "most ugly" one.

"Manipur State Budget tabled in the current Session of the 11th State Assembly on February 20 is a most ugly budget," CTLLSM said, while adding, "It is an anti-tribal and anti-State integrity budget".

According to the Council, the budget clearly reflected the State Government's apathy towards the tribal languages and their education.

The CTLLSM also said that the budget also showed that there is no State policy or plan for tribal languages education in Manipur.

It pointed out that there is no fund allocation for tribal languages education.

It added that tribal languages and their education are sidelined in this Budget.

"The Budget discriminates the hill people and alienated them from it.

Therefore, the Budget is dividing the people of Manipur and it is an anti-State integrity budget.

It is destroying the fabrics of unity and integrity of Manipur and is an instrument to disintegrate the people of the State because it is playing down the sentiments of the tribal people of the State," CTLLSM fumed.

"While we are appreciating and sharing many views and commitments of the BJP led Government to which we all reposed our faith and solidarity, it is falling short of people's aspiration of their (new State Government's) very commitments to make 'one and united Manipur, ching-tam maannaba thong", said the Council.

It also said that the Government has had three annual budgets since 2017, and they themselves have terribly failed and sidelined the tribal languages education in their State's budgets since 2017 .

It also said that the languages of the indigenous tribal communities of Manipur do not find a "phidaa" or a place of respect and honour in the State's budgets in their own native State they live in.

"It is the most unfortunate and nothing is more ugly than this to the people who love to see a common future for all communities of Manipur in the State," the Council expressed.

According to the CTLLSM, the current budgets of the State make the tribal linguistic communities not only unhappy and frustrated but also made them "hopeless" in the State because it (the Budget) has curtailed the future of the tribal communities in Manipur.

"As we all know it well, Manipur is a multilingual State inhabited by 38 recognised communities, of which 35 are tribal linguistic communities.

They are predominantly living in 10 hill districts of the 16 districts of Manipur.

Therefore, promotion of tribal languages in the State is for the common good of Manipur as a whole and it should not be viewed as tribal specific," it said.

According to the Council, in a State like Manipur tribal languages education is of paramount importance for strengthening unity and integrity of the State, and for ushering in a common future for all communities in the State, and that, "community does not live by bread alone but by promotion their native language because language is the repository of custom, culture, knowledge system and history of a community" .

So, promoting tribal languages in the State is to enrich the culture of Manipur, it added.

So far 18 tribal languages have been approved for introduction in school education system and 17 are yet to come up, the CTLLSM also pointed.

"However, unfortunately, there is no fund for tribal languages education in the State's Budgets since the inception.

Approval of a language is supposed to entail fund allocation in the State Budget Fund should be earmarked in the Plan and Non-Plan with Recurring and Non-Recurring expenditures for continuity of the language education," the Council also said.

The CTLLSM then said mat it has a dream of common future for all communities of Manipur in the State and to achieve it, rediscovery of Manipur is a must, and should be done first by the ruling State Government.

"Now is the right time and the budget is the right instrument to achieve the common future of Manipur," the Council of Tribal Languages and Literature Societies, Manipur added.

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