Taking advantage of the zero hour of the second day of the ongoing 13th session of the 11th Manipur Legislative Assembly, three opposition members raised three issues, including provision of better incentive for ASHA workers who are serving the people during the pandemic.
Opposition MLA, Kh Joykisan pointed out that ASHA workers have been consistently serving the people in the fight against the pandemic. The ASHA workers are given a sum of Rs 2,000 as monthly honorarium. Concerning the job they are engaged in, the ASHA workers deserve to be paid more, he said. He urged the leader of the House to provide them a separate incentive in addition to their monthly honorarium so that they could give maximum efforts in serving the people during the pandemic.
MLA Paonam Brojen stated that during the recent Parliament session, Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba had demanded inclusion of the eight assembly constituencies of Thoubal district and Jiribam to general category. He said that the demand made by Sanajaoba is not similar with the demands that were made by various committees and associations since 1952.
Brojen said the associations and committees had been demanding the people of the eight assembly constituencies be allowed to become candidates during elections from the said assembly constituencies.
The people of the eight assembly constituencies welcomed the raising of the issue in Parliament by the Rajya Sabha MP, but the demands are not the same as demanded by the people, he said, urging the leader of the House to approach the Centre to rectify the demands.
Opposition MLA K Meghachandra stated that employees under the umbrella of Manipur Secretariat Services Association (MSSA), pensioners’ association and Manipur Government Services Federation (MGSF) are undergoing indefinite cease-work strike demanding the implementation of the MoU signed with the state government last year.
Meghachandra said the MoU was signed on June 8, 2018 regarding various demands that included adoption of the 7th Central Pay Commission, increase in dearness allowance and others. He appealed to the leader of the House to implement the MoU at the earliest. If the strike continues then severe impact could be faced amid the pandemic, said Meghachandra.
