Foundation seeks agri survey, economic package by centre
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, October 16 2023: As the agriculture and allied sector incurred loss of Rs 350 crore due to the on-going conflict, a central team needs to be dispatched to the state to conduct a survey for a specific economic package, Irabot Foundation Manipur president Th Gopen Luwang has stated.

Addressing a press meet at Manipur Press Club, here, on Monday, Gopen said that the restive situation has severely impacted the farmers with agriculture and allied sector suffering loss of Rs 350 crore since the start of the conflict till Sunday.

On top of this assessment, experts have estimated that the losses could be around Rs 1000 crore.

As such, the government's attitude of filling in the potholes by dispersing only a day's expenses for the repairing system is not feasible in this situation.

Rather, there is the need for taking up direct cash schemes to the affected farmers, he asserted.

The president said that authority concerned would be urged to take up requisite steps and see to that a central team is dispatched for assessing the losses suffered in agri and allied sector.

The conflict has affected farmers including fish farmers and others and thus, a special package needs to be announced at the earliest.

Gopen also urged the state government to instruct the Agriculture Department provide alternative crops such as Kharif crops.

If the budget for agri and allied sector is not doubled, it would be not be able to overcome the current crisis.

While the central government has remarked that there is around 10,000 hectares of non-arable land, there is still difficulty in distributing expenses for 5000 hectares of arable land.

A format of 80 per cent for the farmers and 20 per cent for landowners could be formulated.

In case of damages to the paddy lands in the valley which are not being allowed to be guarded by volunteers, around Rs 50,000 in compensation should be given to the farmers and the land-owners per 'sangam'.

The culprits involved in setting fire to the paddy lands should be awarded lifetime imprisonment within five days, he demanded.

The Foundation president then strongly condemned the delayin providing compen sation to those affected by the floods in 2017, while further condemning the non-dis-tribution of the funds (Rs 26.6 crore) sanctioned by the central government for farmers affected by drought in 2019.He further said that farmers are.under duress during this conflict as they invested their entire savings through many of the fraudulent banks from 2019-20.The present economy of the state could be regarded as a failure, while the government has failed to take to up any remedial measures on war footing measures despite the state facing a disaster.

The government should assure the people of resolving the violence within a stipulated time, he contended.

Gopen questioned the presence of bunkers along the national highways.

In addition, the veterinary department is staying silent, he observed, while urging the department to announce to the public the steps it has taken up for the welfare of animals amid this conflict.

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