Efforts on to release pending payments: CM
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, March 25 2022: Chief Minister N Biren Singh has stated that efforts are being made to provide safe and adequate drinking water to 80 percent of the households in the state, while also allocating the wages for all works/projects done by the Works Department during the previous term in the full-fledged budget of this year along with clearing all pending dues.

Addressing the House during the discussion on demands for supplementary grants on Friday, CM Biren said that supplementary budget demand is the funds to be utilised by the different departments, as is already known by the members of the House.

The full budget would be presented for thorough discussion in June, he added.

Stating that various honorarium funds such as for Anganwadis (Social welfare) are included in the supplementary budget, Biren informed that the pending wages for the works done in the previous term would be allocated in this year's full budget.

He then mentioned that the Wabagai-Sugnu-Chapikarong routes will be repaired, while adding that steps would be taken up to clear the ES for some of the works undertaken by Works Department under technical sanction.

The government has also submitted a proposal to CRF for repairing the Wabagai Lamkhai-Chakpikarong route, he conveyed.

Informing efforts are on to provide safe drinking water to around 80-90 percent of the households in the state by December under the NDP project; the CM stated that around 63 percent have access to safe drinking water, while efforts are underway to increase the same to 100 percent.

Meanwhile, water from Thoubal Dam is being channelled till Chingkhei Ching.

However, there is still shortage of pipes to bring the water across the river, for which the government is taking up necessary action.

Meanwhile, during the discussion on demand for grant, Sugnu AC MLA K Ranjit raised an observation on when would the pending salary for one month out of the 13-month pay for active services such as police, IRB and MR would be paid.

He further questioned whether it would be paid through the supplementary budget.

MLA Ranjit also questioned when the pending honorarium of 10 months for health mission staff would be cleared, while further questioning if the pending honorarium of 11 months for Anganwadi workers is included in the supplementary budget.

Khangabok AC MLA Okram Surajkumar also made an observation on the demand for grant of finance, stating that the department's estimates in the budget is unrealistic and could be considered to have been jammed by the central share and various flagship programmes.

As such, he suggested to the House leader to make it realistic, considering the supplementary demand allocated is huge and meant for the pension and other retirement benefits.

It is as if the department is trying to cast a healthy financial picture of the state, he remarked.

On the demand for grant of IPR, MLA Surajkumar said that around Rs 1.38 crore is being added to clear the advertisement bills of media houses/newspapers.

The press/media had previously staged protests against the state government's failure to clear the bills of government advertisements of around Rs 10 crore.

As such, he drew the attention of the House for ascertaining whether the Rs 1.38 crore allocated in the budget would be satisfactory.

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