IMPHAL, July 25: Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh on Thursday said all acts of violence should be universally condemned and efforts must be made to prevent them.
Singh made these comments at the launch of a book programme by the department of sericulture and Manipur Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board.
He said, “Peace has gradually returned to the state and we must collectively strive to maintain it. All our demands, including the identification of illegal immigrants and the implementation of the NRC, should strictly adhere to constitutional and legal frameworks. We must denounce acts of violence and work actively to prevent them.”
Singh also responded to allegations by the Congress that no aid was mentioned for Manipur in the Union Budget.
Without directly naming the grand old party, Singh said, “The central government has consistently supported relief efforts since the beginning, regardless of whether the state was mentioned in Parliament or not. Let us refrain from indulging in petty politics. The Centre has provided assistance for constructing prefabricated homes and daily food provisions. A total of Rs 145 crore has been allocated for managing relief camps.”
He added, “Rs 3 crore was spent on distributing television sets in relief camps, and Rs 23 crore was distributed in Rs 1,000 installments to each person residing in relief camps, on at least four occasions. Additionally, Rs 44 crore was utilised for children’s nutrition and personal hygiene, while Rs 19 crore was allocated as compensatory packages for agricultural and related activities.”
Singh added, “Rs 25,000 has been disbursed as the first installment to 6,000 families under the special assistance package for violence-affected families, with each family set to receive Rs 1 lakh.”
He addressed criticisms, stating, “Those engaging in petty politics have misrepresented the government’s efforts for relief camp residents.”
Singh continued, “Even amidst the disastrous hailstorms and floods in recent months, Rs 80 crore was allocated for flood relief, and Rs 45 crore was spent on distributing GI sheets to 42,000 people whose homes were damaged by hailstorms.” (PTI)
