Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh emphasised on the need to universally condemn acts of violence and actively work to prevent them. Speaking at a book launch organised by the Department of Sericulture and the Manipur Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board, he underlined the importance of peace and the collective effort required to sustain it.
CM Singh highlighted that, “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.”
Responding to criticisms from the Congress regarding the absence of aid for Manipur in the Union Budget, CM Singh asserted, “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.”
He detailed the Central assistance, including Rs 145 crore allocated for managing relief camps, Rs 3 crore for distributing television sets in camps, Rs 23 crore in cash installments to camp residents, Rs 44 crore for children’s nutrition and personal hygiene, and Rs 19 crore for compensatory packages for agricultural activities.
Besides, Biren Singh noted that Rs 25,000 has been disbursed as the first installment to 6,000 families under a special assistance package for violence-affected families, with each family set to receive Rs 1 lakh.
Addressing criticisms, the CM said, “Those engaging in petty politics have misrepresented the government’s efforts for relief camp residents.” He further highlighted that despite recent challenges, including hailstorms and floods, 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.
