CM Biren invites corporates to invest in state
Source: Chronicle News Service / DIPR

Imphal, August 23 2022: Chief minister N Biren Singh has said that Manipur is changing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other central leaders and invited corporate sectors to come to Manipur and see the potential of the state.

The chief minister was addressing the inaugural session of the Technical Textiles Conference at Hotel Classic Grande, Chingmeirong, on Tuesday.

N Biren said that Manipur has lots of potential in every sector, citing the silk produced in the state and its potential in the handloom and handicraft sector, adding, "We have started exporting various items including ginger and pineapple.

Even in sports out of our seven athletes at the recently concluded Commonwealth Games, five of them brought medals for the country".

Manipur with its rich textile tradition, strategic location and vibrant entrepreneurial eco-system has significant potential.

Manipur is the land gateway of India to South East Asia, Biren said.

While stating that Asian Highway is progressing fast, the chief minister appreciated the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation for the work along the Imphal-Moreh highway.

Biren also highlighted cheap labour, round the clock water supply, power supply, customs office at Moreh, improvement in law and order situation and said that all these have created investment opportunities for entrepreneurs and industrialists in the state.

Further commending road work taken up by the Border Road Organisation (BRO) in Arunachal Pradesh as highlighted in a power-point presentation by chief engineer of Project Arunank under the BRO, the chief minister stressed that Manipur needs these new technologies.

Citing Manipur's soft soil causing frequent landslides and long monsoon, Biren said that these types of technologies including the geo-textiles are very much important.

He then urged the secretary of Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to ensure that these technologies are utilised along the Imphal-Jiribam, Imphal-Mao, Imphal-Aizawl and Imphal-Moreh roads.

Further citing the limited transportation options in the state, the chief minister asked the secretary for dedicated teams along the Imphal-Jiribam and the Imphal-Mao highways to expedite road work progress.

Lauding the officials from the central ministries visiting the state, CM Biren said that such visits are important as the officials could study and understand the ground reality during such visits.

He continued that schemes specific to the North East region have been taken up by the Ministry of Textiles to promote use of agro textiles and geo-textiles in the region.

Under such schemes, Manipur has taken up pilot projects with the technical textiles in National Highway construction, PMGSY road construction and lining of water reservoir, he added.

Speaking at the event, Union minister of state for textiles Darshana Vikram Jardosh lauded chief minister N Biren and expressed that what a double engine government is, should be learned from his government.

After returning for his second term, the chief minister has been working along with all departments and ministries to take Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision forward, she added.

Darshana further said, "We can witness through Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat how different ministries of the government or stakeholders are working together".

The MoS also explained the vision of the Textile Ministry under PM Modi and cabinet minister Piyush Goyal.

"Our industry is mostly cotton based industry and globally people prefer manmade fibre.

In order to increase India's stake in manmade fibre, some schemes have been initiated," she said.

Darshana also mentioned the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme for textiles, the PM Mitra Scheme.

In her speech, Textiles Commerce & Industries minister Nemcha Kipgen said that the importance of technical textiles have grown leaps and bounds and have become more relevant and important along with time as the varieties and different segments of technical textiles are growing in numbers having different purposes and usefulness, and is one of the sunrise sectors.

The invention of specialty fibres and their incorporation in various areas suggest that the importance of technical textiles is going to increase in future.

Today, the usage of the technical textiles ranges from agriculture to forestry, horticulture, animal and poultry rearing including animal clothing besides enhancing crop productions, she said.

Brig AS Kanwar, chief engineer (P) Arunank Border Roads Organisation (BRO), provided an overview of the BRO, challenges and case studies and mitigation of the challenges using new technology.

He also dwelt on the challenges faced in the northern areas, where the Himalayan ranges post specific challenges, elaborating that there are new fold mountains, massive landslides, landslips, sinking of foundation and we have to overcome these challenges using new technology.

He also cited some road works being taken up in Arunachal Pradesh.

Highlighting the successful use of geo-textiles in soil stabilization, slope stabilization, the chief engineer said that geo-textiles are extensively used in Arunachal Pradesh for slope stabilization.

He added that the BRO remains committed to the use of modern technology to look for practical solutions to problems in the field.

Joint secretary in Ministry of Textiles Rajeev Saxena briefed the gathering about National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) and explained why India needs technical textiles.

He said, "With the traditional textile we cannot fulfil our requirements and we need man-made fibres".

He continued that the NTTM has four components or focus areas which are research, innovation and development, education, training and skilling, promotion and market development and export promotion.

Rajeev spoke on the implementation mechanism under NTTM and key initiatives of the NTTM.

The inaugural session was also attended by chief secretary Dr Rajesh Kumar, Ministry of Road Transport & Highways secretary Giridhar Aramane, Indian Chamber of Commerce's Pradeep Sureka, officials from BRO and Ministry of Textiles among others.

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