Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Thursday appealed to all concerned citizens and organisations to refrain from calling any bandhs and blockades amid the crisis.
“Putting the people through such challenges during the turmoil in Manipur is uncalled for. We need to properly assess the situation and take actions through proper channels,” he said.
He was speaking during distribution of loan sanction under the Manipur Credit Guarantee Scheme (MCGS) for Micro and Small Enterprises and the launching of the Fertilizer Distribution Management app at the chief minister’s secretariat, Imphal.
A sum of Rs 113 crore was sanctioned and distributed for the first phase out of the total Rs 700 crore.
The chief minister asserted that growth in all sectors had been greatly hindered by the prevailing conflict and as such, acting on emotions without regard for the people would spell disaster for the state.
“The HSLC 2024 exam is commencing and such agitations could pose an obstacle to the students,” he said.
He stated that the groups and organisations should avoid such forms of protests when the state is trying to fill in and make up for lost times.
The government would be compelled to act if such mindless actions continue to pop up, he added.
He highlighted all sectors of the state, especially the economy, which had suffered a great deal due to the prevailing unrest and that the state government was striving relentlessly to catch up for lost times and rectify the issue swiftly.
“We sincerely appealed to all concerned to sacrifice and dedicate extra hours so that the gap can be filled. It is up to us to address this issue properly,” he said.
He pointed out that the government would look into the agricultural and horticultural small and medium scale industries to boost the economy.
We would also push start-ups and entrepreneurial ventures through various schemes, he added.
On the launching of the app, Biren stated that the app would help in bridging the gap between the public and the government through transparency and accountability.
“The government has been the backdrop of allegations for the past many years and as such, this app would aid in clearing those misunderstandings,” he said.
He highlighted that farmers in Manipur would now be able to track their transactions and their fertilizer very easily through the app.
This would reduce the chances of corruption as all the details of the fertilizers and their prices would be available on the website, he added.
Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Govindas Konthoujam, Education Minister Thokchom Basantakumar, MLA Thongam Shanti, Khongbantabam Ibomcha and chief secretary Vineet Joshi among others were also present during the event.
