Governor's address to Assembly : Doors open for dialogue: Govt to UG groups
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 20 2019: The State Government has categorically stated that its doors are always open for negotiations with any insurgent group in order to bring total normalcy in the State.

Giving her customary address on the opening day of the seventh session of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly which commenced today, Governor Dr Najma Heptulla stated that the Government is committed to protecting human rights and prevent any excesses by security forces.

Securing the highways in the State has been a priority of the Government.

Towards this, the Government of India has sanctioned two India Reserve Battalions for the State, for which recruitment process has already started.

The Government has started community policing at the level of police stations which has yielded substantial results, she added.

The Governor said that the State's own revenue collection has registered growth of 28 per cent in 2017-18 over 2016-17 .

Implementation of GST has improved tax collection with increased compliance by tax payers.

Dr Najma mentioned that Manipur was recently awarded by the Government of India as the best performing State in e-procurement implementation in the North East.

Under NLCPR, the State secured an assistance of Rs 79 crore and 15 lakh this year for eight new projects and 10 ongoing projects.

The allocation of funds under North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme has been increased to Rs 194 crore and 95 lakh.

The State Government has also obtained due approval for a new scheme called Hill Area Development Programme this year with an outlay of Rs 90 crore from Ministry of DoNER for infrastructure development of Tamenglong and Noney districts, the Governor informed the House.

Whereas three health centres have been established at Thingpuikol in Churachandpur district, Chamu in Ukhral district and Impa in Tamenglong district to provide medical facilities to tribal people in the interior hill areas, the Government has established fully functional separate departments by bifurcating the erstwhile Department of Minorities and Other Backward Classes into Department of Minority Affairs and Department for Welfare of OBC&SC .

To streamline the functioning of schools and optimize use of resources, a major exercise to restructure and rationalise Government schools by way of amalgamation has been taken up, Dr Najma said.

In order to ensure that there is no out-of-school children in the State, the Government has launched 'Lairik Tamhallasi-No Child Left Behind' scheme.

Under this scheme, out-of-school children in the age group of 15-18 years are identified and admitted in formal schools, she said.

The Government has also launched another initiative 'School Fagathansi' under Go to Village Mission in order to garner the lost public trust in Government schools.

To protest and promote Manipuri and tribal languages, the Government has taken up various activities.

Transliteration of all available Manipuri textbooks from Class I to graduation from Bengali script into Meetei Mayek has been done.

Standardization of Manipuri terminologies for 16 subjects has been completed, claimed the Governor.

Manipur achieved the long cherished dream of adopting 400 KV system with the successful charging of Silchar-Imphal 400 KV DC transmission line on December 25 last year.

It would ensure enough available transmission capacity to cater to the power requirement of the State for the next 15 years, she said.

Re-assessment of small hydropower potential of the State with the latest available technologies has been completed recently.

Altogether, 32 projects having total capacity of more than 300 MW have been identified.

The State Government has also been trying to develop two medium scale hydropower projects namely; Loktak Downstream Hydroelectric Project (66 MW) and Nungleiband Hydroelectric Project (75 MW) by availing external funding.

Talking about agriculture and allied sectors, the Governor said that the Government has brought 2000 hectares under organic cultivation of Black Scented Rice (Chak-Hao) .

She said that a fish feed mill with a production capacity of 170 Kgs per hour is being established at Lamphel.

A Central poultry farm has been rejuvenated at Khumbong with the induction of 2000 low input technology birds and one incubator with capacity to produce 30,000 chicks per month.

Concrete fence is being constructed around the Pony Sanctuary at the foothills of Marjing with an endeavour to protect the Manipuri Pony and preserve the associated culture, Dr Najma informed the House.

Proposals for construction of Imphal ring road and elevated highways within Imphal city at projected costs of Rs 1148 crore and Rs 1350 crore under Externally Aided Projects have been agreed in principle by the Union Government, she mentioned.

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