Imphal, October 28 2008: MANIPUR GOVERNOR has given assent to two more bills which were passed by the monsoon session of the Manipur Assembly held in the first week of this current month leaving only one bill pending to get assent for enactment as Acts.

Out of four bills passed in the recently concluded monsoon session, the state Governor had given assent to one bill, the Manipur Panchayati Raj (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2008 last week on October 18.Two more bills, Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils (Third Amendment) Bill, 2008 and the Manipur Municipality Disclosure Bill, 2008 were given assent by the Governor yesterday, official source said today.

With this only the Manipur Compulsory Registration of Marriage Bill, 2008 is left to get assent from the Governor for enforcing as acts.

The Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils (Third Amendment) Bill, 2008 which would replaced an ordinance promulgated by the state Governor five months back on May 11 is considered to be a very important one as the ordinance need to replace by an Act.

The ordinance, to mention here was promulgated after a bill on the same was withdrawn from the House in the last Assembly session and paving the path for holding elections to the autonomous hill districts councils in the five hill districts of the state.

After the promulgation of the ordinance, the state authorities are on hectic effort for holding elections to the district councils in the hill districts of the state which haves been held up for the last around two decades as the demand for extension of sixth schedule of the Indian Constitution of India could not be settled till date.

The last election to the council was held in 1984 and 1987 .

Delimitation exercises of the hill district councils in five hill districts are also currently under progress under the ordinance which would b replaced by the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils (Third Amendment) Act.

The Act would be enforced after the Manipur government notifies the same in the state gazette which can be expected in the next few days.

Apart from the objective of holding elections to the council, the Act is also aim at strengthening the councils and rationalizing of the relevant amendments to the Manipur (Hill Areas) District Councils Act, 1971 enacted by the state legislature.

Another bill, the Manipur Municipality Disclosure Bill, 2008 which was also given assent yesterday by the Governor, is also a much needed one to enforce in the state as government had already started planning for implementation of the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission, JNURM, a centre sponsored programme for urban development.

The objective of the Manipur Municipality Disclosure Bill, 2008 which would be enacted in the state shortly is to ensure disclosure to all stakeholders and aims at improving local governance including accountability and transparency in administration of urban local bodies.

The same is mandatory in enact the Act as per the timelines of the urban development for implementation of Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewable Mission, JNURUM for achieving the target.

The Act will also provide transparency and accountability in the functioning of municipality, the preface of the bill said.

The Manipur Compulsory Registration of Marriage Bill, 2008 which was passed by the House without much discussion is yet to give assent by the Governor.

This also likely to get assent very soon, the source disclosed.

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