* SUMMARY LIST OF GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS  

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, THE GOVERNOR OF MANIPUR, SAYED MUZAFFAR HUSAIN BURNEY, TO THE MANIPUR LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY ON 27- 02- 1984.

Mananiya Adhyaksha Amashung Ekaikhumnaraba Membershing,

I have great pleasure in addressing you in the opening Session of the Eighth Manipur Legislative Assembly this year.

LAW AND ORDER

2. It is with great deal of satisfaction that I place on record the achievement of my Government in restoring normal law and order situation in the State. Honourable Members would have noticed that we have had an extremely peaceful year barring some sporadic incidents. The reprehensible assassination of Shri Y. Shaiza last month was only an isolated incident and should not be viewed as a reflection on the general law and order situation. The violence and fear of extremists that existed till some time ago are virtually non-existent now and people carry on their work till late in the evening like in any other place. The streets of Imphal and other places in the State are almost as safe as anywhere else in the country.

3. The activities of extremists in the valley which had been causing immense concern to my Government in the previous years have come down appreciably. PREPAK and K.C.P have been virtually wiped out now and the P.L.A. has suffered serious reverses. The N.S.C.N. also suffered severe blows during the year 1983 with the arrest of some of its top leaders. As a result of the relentless pressure of the Government on counter insurgency operations, 219 extremists were arrested and 10 of them were killed in various operations. Altogether 47 insurgents were detained under the N.S.A.

REHABILITATION

4. Besides exerting pressure on the extremists, my Government have also offered then generous incentives to eschew the path of violence and lead a normal peaceful life. As a result of this policy, 51 extremists have surrendered with arms and ammunitions in the last one year. Besides granting them rehabilitation assistance, the Government have also made efforts to impart vocational training to them. Recently 100 class III and IV posts have been created to absorb some of the surrendered persons.

POLICE

5. The strength of the Civil Police has been augmented to enable the Government to deal with the situation effectively. In order to intensify counter insurgency operations in the hill areas, a post of DIG/Hill Range, with Headquarter at Ukhrul temporarily, has been created. One battalion of Manipur Rifles has also been shifted to Ukhrul. Communication facilities in the Police Department have been adequately strengthened and all the District Headquarters are now linked on R.T.

JAIL

6. Honourable Members would recall my reference to the steps which had been taken to revitalise the Jail Administration in the State in my address to this august House last year. There has been no let-up in our efforts and the result is there for all to see.

7. The capacity of Leimakhong Sub-Jail has been increased from 70 to 120 which has reduced overcrowding of the prisoners in the Central Jail. They have also been provided with better facilities. Sajiwa Central Jail is in an advanced stage of construction and is likely to be completed within 3 months’ time. The construction of District Jails at Ukhrul and Churachandpur is also in progress.

VIGILANCE

8. The Vigilance organisation in this State has been strengthened with the appointment of the State Vigilance Commissioner this year. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption and the tribunal for Departmental Enquiries have been placed under the direct control of the Commissioner so that it may function effectively.

LAW

9. Legal Aid programme has been taken up in right earnest. The income eligibility limit has been more than doubled to Rs. 5,000 to bring more and more people under the cover of this programme. The fees of the lawyers have also been raised to Rs. 300. Recently a conference of legal aid to the poor was organized in Imphal. This was followed by a workshop on the same issue on 7th & 8th February.

FINANCE

10. Honourable Members would recall my address to this august House last year wherein I had mentioned about the steps taken by my Government to enforce better financial discipline. This policy of better fiscal management and control has paid rich dividends and the State has not gone into overdraft with the Reserve bank of India for a single day this year and my Government has been able to invest Rs. 2.29 crores in long term interest bearing securities to enable us to have ways and means advances to the tune of Rs. 6 crores. The year opened with a deficit Rs. 17.39 crores arising largely out of certain erratic cash outflows and building up of stocks of rice, sugar and fertilizer. The deficit, therefore, does not reflect on the financial health of the State.

11. As Honourable Members are aware, the State will get Rs. 56.08 crores during 1984-85 as statutory grant from the Central Government. This represents the interim award of the 8th Finance Commission. Any gain out of this award will be earmarked to enhance the State’s resources for financing next year’s Plan.

12. My Government has been making efforts to exercise utmost economy in Non-Plan expenditure. Measures have also been taken to mobilise additional resources. 

13. In order to reduce the load of work on the Treasury in Imphal, an additional Treasury was opened in the month of June, 1983. This has also accelerated the pace of compilation of accounts. Steps have also been taken to constitute Manipur Financial service so that the management of the State’s finances may be professionalized. It is hoped that the financial discipline will improve further when the Service becomes fully operational. 

REVENUE

14. The valley has been sub-divided into 3 Districts namely, Imphal, Thoubal and Bishnupur with a view to making the administration more effective and bringing it within easy reach of the common man. Paomata, Moirang and Kakching Sub-Divisions have also been created with this objective in mind. Since most of the population and activity in Tengnoupal is concentrated in and around Moreh, the Sub-Divisional Headquarters has also been shifted there. 

15. 152.04 acres of surplus land had been distributed to 103 families including 67 Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe families up to December, 1983. My Government is committed to meeting the target of 400 acres set for this year under the 20-Point Programme. 55 families have been allotted homestead land in addition to this. With a view to mobilising land revenue and disposal of revenue cases, 44 camps have so far been organised in the State. Survey of the hill areas has been progressing well. Over 1,000 hectares have already been surveyed this year. MLR and LR Act has also been extended to 809 hectares of Khoupum Valley. 

EXCISE & TAXATION

16. The Excise Department has geared up its efforts for revenue collection. The department had collected over Rs. 65 lakhs up to 31.12.83 and is expected to net another Rs. 5 lakhs by the end of this financial year. This represents a step-up of over 15% over last year’s collection. Honourable Members would be pleased to note that this enhancement in revenue has taken place without opening of any new Foreign Liquor Shops. 

17. Rates of sales tax in respect of some items had been revised with effect from 26.10.83 which is expected to yield an additional Rs. 4 lakhs per year. The Department had collected Rs. 106 lakhs on account of sale tax and Rs. 54.52 lakhs on account of Amusement Tax till 31.12.83.

18. With the return of peace and normalcy, the atmosphere in the State has become very conducive to developmental activities and this is amply reflected in the performance of my Government. Poverty amelioration and employment generation programmes have received maximum attention of the Government, as growing unemployment and poverty are the bane of our State. Committees have been formed from State to the Block levels to constantly review and monitor the performance of developmental programmes.

NEW 20-POINT PROGRAMME

19. The New 20-Point Programme has engaged maximum attention of my Government. The implementation or the programme is reviewed at the highest level in the State. Monitoring has also been set up at the District and Block levels. Non-officials play a significant role on these committees which also have representatives of the weaker sections. The anticipated expenditure of the programme in the current year will be of the order of Rs. 23 crores.

20. We have done consistently well in the field of NREP, Rural Electrification, Welfare of Scheduled Tribes, Plantation of trees, village and small Industries and Medical and health coverage where we had already exceeded our targets by December itself except in the field of NREP where 1.69 lakhs man days had been generated against our target of 1.80 lakhs. The balance is expected to be achieved in the remaining period. We have so far provided drinking water to 101 villages against our target of 145. The progress in other areas was a little tardy in the beginning of the year; hence the expected results were not achieved. However, with the increased tempo of activity, we are confident of achieving our targets in most of the areas. A notable feature of the programme is that our performance up to December, 1983 was better in respect of all points as compared to our achievements for the same period in the previous year.

PLAN

21. Our Annual Plan for 1984-85 has been finalised with an approved outlay of Rs. 61 crores which is significantly higher than the current year’s allocation of Rs. 52.80 crores. The accent in the terminal year of the Plan is on the social and community services, which include water supply, health, education etc. which have received over 33% of the outlay. The Irrigation and Flood Control and Power sector come next with about 30% of the outlay. 

22. About Rs.25 crores will be available for implementation of the 20-Point Programme in 1984-85 and about Rs. 6 crores for the Minimum Needs Programme. In addition to the above allocation, the State is also likely to get about Rs. 3.5 crores from the NEC and about Rs. 7 crores  under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes. 

AGRICULTURE

23. The performance of the State in the Agricultural sector was very satisfactory during the year. In spite of heavy rain in March, April and early May which severely affected paddy cultivation in some low-lying areas as well as Jhum in the hills, the production of food grains was of the order of 3,60,000 Mts including 3,20,000 Mts of rice. This has been made possible by increased irrigation, use of high yielding variety of paddy and increased use of fertilizers. An area of 77,000 hectares is now under HYVs. The fertilizer consumption in the valley has also gone up to 40 kgs per hectare, although the State average still remains at 20 Kgs per hectare due to poor consumption in the hill areas.

24. Honourable Members would recall my reference last year to the Manipur Plantation Crops Corporation which has undertaken tea and coffee plantation at Jiribam. The tea project will extend over 425 hectares of which 25 hectares have already been covered. The plantation is expected to be completed by 1989. Coffee plantation has also started this year with the help of the Coffee Board. 

HORTICULTURE AND SOIL CONSERVATION

25. The State has tremendous potential for development of horticulture. In order to tap this potential resource of the State, horticultural census on 100% enumeration basis has been taken up in 350 villages which will gradually be extended to the entire State. This would yield valuable information for development of this sector in the State. 

26. The production of the Fruit Preservation Factory is expected to touch 200 Mts in the current year. Honourable Members would be delighted to note that 6.5 Mts of Pineapple products have already been exported to the USSR. Another 33 Mts are likely to be exported by the end of this year. The Department is also exploring possibility of exporting this product to the West European countries. 

27. The damage caused to the ecology of the State by the practice of Jhum in the hill areas has been causing great concern to my Government. In order to offset this loss, Soil conservation Programmes are being drawn up for implementation on water shed basis. 1,700 hectares of bench terraces would be constructed by the end of this financial year raising the total of the Jhum area that has thus been brought under settled cultivation so far to 25,300 hectares. Survey work for a second Water Shed Development Projects has also commenced. 

FOREST

28. Forest resources of the State have been depleting at an alarming rate. This has come about mainly due to the practice of Jhum in the hill areas. Villages also depend on forest for fuel, fodder and timber. The Forest Department is adopting a three-pronged strategy of protective, regenerative and productive measures to arrest this trend of denudation. 25 Development Schemes under this sector have been taken up this year. 

29. The Department has taken up plantation of industrial and commercial species to meet the future demand of the State. During the year teak, pine, cham etc have been planted over an area of 1,200 hectares. Social Forestry Programme has been taken up in right earnest in the valley where there is maximum gap between demand and supply of fuel-wood and small timber. An area of 1,040 hectares has been brought under fast-growing and fruit-bearing tree species this year. Besides, 10.65 lakhs of such seedlings were also distributed to public free of cost. The rubber plantation at Jiribam has shown good progress and an additional area of 40 hectares has been covered this year raising the total to 376 hectares. Tapping from a few trees which have attained maturity, will start later this year. 

30. As a part of Soil conservation Programme, an area of 1,500 hectares has been afforested in the catchments area of Loktak Lake and Thoubal and Sekmai Barrage. With a view to checking siltation and increasing life-span of the proposed Khuga Dam, afforestation over 350 hectares in the catchments area of Khuga River has been done.

31. The Department has planted 86,92,000 trees in the current year as a part of the New 20-Point Programme thereby exceeding the target of 80 lakhs.

IRRIGATION AND FLOOD CONTROL

32. The allocation to the Irrigation Sector has progressively increased in the successive Plans and stands at Rs. 40 crores in the Sixth Plan. Altogether 7 major and medium irrigation projects are currently underway which, when completed, will generate irrigation potential of 1,08,000 hectares. Of these 7 Projects, Thoubal, Khuga and Singda are Multipurpose Projects which will augment Imphal Water Supply by 19 MGD besides providing 9 MW of power. 25,000 hectares had already been brought under irrigation through these projects till the end of 1982-83. Another 6,000 hectares would be added in the current year. Besides these, the Chakpi Multipurpose and Iril Projects are in advance stages of investigation. Annual irrigation potential of 43,000 hectares is expected to be achieved from these projects by the end of the Sixth plan.

33. The Government has also embarked on Flood Control Projects in a big way. Merakhong is the first Flood Control Project taken up by the Department. Besides, Flood Control Projects for Imphal, Thoubal etc. Rivers are also under preparation. A total area of 2,350 hectares had been brought under protection in the first three years of the Plan and this year another 900 hectares would be covered. The achievement during this Plan period is expected to be 5,750 hectares.

MINOR IRRIGATION

34. Minor Irrigation Programme is included in the New 20-Point Programme and hence received high priority. Irrigation potential of 1,044 hectares had already been created up to the end of December, 1983 with an investment of Rs. 81 lakhs. It is expected that this year’s target of hectares would be achieved. This would be in addition to the potential of 8,276 hectares which had already been created during the first three years of the Plan.

COMMAND AREA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY

35. The Command Area Development Authority has been set up in the State to bring modernisation in agriculture by efficient and systematic utilisation of irrigation potential created by the Irrigation Projects. This objective will be achieved by construction of field channels. In the current year an area of about 1,000 hectares is being covered by construction of such field channels.

CO-OPERATION

36. Since the economy of the State is largely agrarian, the Co-operative Department has also been making efforts to strengthen this sector. The National Co-operative Development Corporation has so far sanctioned establishment of 4 Agro Services Centre. Efforts are afoot to set up 8 more such centres. A sum of Rs. 6 lakhs has been advanced as share capital contribution of the Co-operative Banks, GPLMPCS & LAMPS through NABARD. Co-operative Societies have also been assisted by grant of managerial subsidies. In order to provide storage and marketing facilities, the Department is arranging for construction of godowns of 100 Mt. capacity by all the GPLMPCS and LAMPS.

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

37. Community Development Programmes are being implemented in all the Blocks of the State with an allocation of Rs. 11 lakhs this year. Besides, the Integrated Rural Development Programme which seeks to augment the income of poor families in the villages by creating regenerative sources of income through grant of subsidies, is also being implemented in all the Blocks and it is expected that over 5,000 families would be brought above the poverty line this year with the help of this programme.

38. National Employment Programme is also an important feature of developmental activities in the rural areas. This year about 1.80 lakhs mandays are expected to be generated by the end of March, 1984. 1.69 lakhs mandays had already been generated till 31st December, 1983 thereby not only offering job opportunities to the rural poor but also creating durable community assets like school buildings, roads, water tanks, etc. in the villages.

39. The new Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme, recently announced by the Prime Minister, is also being taken up this year. The Project details have already been worked out and the programme is under implementation.

40. With the extension of Applied Nutrition Programme to Tipaimukh Block this year, this programme now covers 24 Blocks in the State.

TRIBAL DEVELOPMENT

41. A sum of Rs. 78 lakhs is being spent on the welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. Bulk of this expenditure is in the education sector, 25 schools and 23 hostel buildings are under construction in the tribal areas. In addition, two Girls’ Hostels are being constructed under the Centrally Sponsored Schemes. Water supply schemes have been taken up in 65 tribal villages this year. In order to strengthen the distribution system of essential commodities, 7 grain godowns are being constructed in the hill areas. The construction of one Multipurpose Hall-cum-Indoor Stadium at Ukhrul has been completed by the MTDC in record time. Another five community halls are under construction in Sub-Divisional Headquarters.

VETERINARY & ANIMAL HUSBANDARY

42. With a view to strengthening the animal health coverage in the State, 4 Veterinary Dispensaries and one Veterinary Aid Centre have been opened during this year. In addition, two Dispensaries have been upgraded into Hospitals raising the strength of Veterinary Hospitals to 43, Veterinary Dispensaries to 77 and Veterinary Aid Centres to 27. Altogether over to 4 lakhs cases have been treated up to December, 1983. The Intensive Cattle Development Project has been expanded with the opening of two new Sub-centres this year. Five new Bull Centres are also going to be opened shortly. In order to meet the table meat requirements of the State, one Broiler Chick Production centre is being set up at Porompat.

43. Efforts are also being made to increase the production of milk in the State. Chilling Plants at Moirang, Kangpokpi and Kamooching will be set up shortly to step up dairy development. 2 New Rural Dairy Centres are also being opened.

FISHERIES

44. The Fisheries Department has introduced a Fish Seed bank this year for making fish seeds available to the farmers on credit. About 10 million fish seeds had been produced till December, 1983 against the target of 15 million both in private and public farms. The remainder is expected to be produced by the end of March, 1984.

45. The production of table fish by the Fisheries Department has been increasing steadily and the Department hopes to attain the target of 4,500 tonnes this year. A total of 3,500 tonnes have already been produced by the end of December, 1983. In order to cater to the heavy demand of fish at Ningol Chak-Kouba festival, the Department had organised a Fish Crop Competition in Imphal on the eve of the festival in November, 1983. More than 15,000 kilos of table fish were marketed on this occasion.

46. The Department has also embarked upon a programme of beautification of the Kangla Park along with taking up composite fish culture in the moat.

PUBLIC HEALTH ENGINELRING

47. My Government has been making all out efforts to supply potable water to all the villages and urban areas. Despite the constraint of resources we have made steady progress and with the completion of Ukhrul Water Supply Scheme, all the District Headquarters in the State are now assured of drinking water. We have covered 101 villages so far under Rural Water Supply Scheme and at the present rate of work it is expected that a total of 157 villages will be covered by March, 1984. In recognition of the good work done by my Government in this field, the Government of India has given an additional allocation of Rs. 110 lakhs as bonus for this programme.

48. Steps have also been taken to augment the urban water supply in Imphal City. The capacity in the beginning of 6th Plan was 5.2 million gallons per day. This will be augmented by one MGD with the help of Singda Irrigation Dam which has been delayed due to serious geological problems. The commissioning of Ningthempukhri has also eased the position. Besides, measures have been taken to tap the ground water by boring holes with the help of drilling-rig by the UNICEF. So far 17 tube-wells have been sunk along the foothills in the valley and 60 in the hills.

POWER

49. The commissioning of the Loktak Hydro Electric project in May last year had raised the hopes of improved power supply in the State. However, generation of power from the project discontinued after breakdown of a portion of the tunnel in July, 1983. The project is now expected to be re-commissioned by the end of this year. In anticipation of power from this project, a master plan for transmission net-work has already been prepared and submitted to the Government of India. The sub-transmission system in the State has been extended to as far as Mao in the north, Ukhrul in the east and Churachandpur in the south. In order to curtail the load on costly diesel generation, emphasis is being given on utilisation of the power from the North-Eastern grid which has now increased to 15 MW and would increase further, as more and more 33 KV Sub-stations are installed. Efforts are also being made to augment the capacity of the main receiving station from the existing 25 MVA to 40 MVA. Work on five Micro-Hydel Projects is progressing satisfactorily. Of these, Nungshangkhong (1.5 MW) and Lokchao (0.4 MW) will be commissioned in 1984-85. The remaining three, Booning, Gelnel and Leimakhong Stage III, are expected to be commissioned in 1985-86. 

50. Honourable Members would be aware that Rural Electrification is an important component of the Prime Minister’s 20-Point Programme. My Government has done consistently well in this field. Against this year’s target of 70 villages, 89 had already been electrified in the first 9 months. Many more will be electrified till March, 1984 thereby substantially exceeding the target. 14 pump sets have also been energized so far against this year’s target of 10.

ROADS AND BRIDGES

51. Road construction activities during 1983-84 have been quite impressive. An additional length of 97 Kms. is being added to achieve a total length of 3,559 Kms. of which 1,767 Kms. will be surfaced and 1,792 unsurfaced. Efforts are being made to consolidate the completed sections and also to improve the riding quality and surface condition of the road. 90 Kms of road are being strengthened and provided with new black-topped surface to meet the requirements of traffic. Three permanent bridges and 150 culverts are also likely to be completed this year.

52. Under the Minimum Needs Programme, 8 more villages with population of 1,500 and above and 9 villages with population of 1,000-1,500 are also likely to be connected by all-weather roads thus raising the total number of villages connected by roads to 1,164.

BUILDINGS

53. In spite of limited fund and shortage of construction materials there has been considerable progress in building construction and 82 residential buildings in and around Imphal will be completed by the end of this year. In non-residential sector important buildings such as 4-storey new block of State Guest House and 3-storey Tourist Lodge have been completed and 4-storey new block of Secretariat and 3-storey M.L.A. flats on Dimapur road are nearing completion. Besides, 4-storey Directorate complex, 2-storey District Hospital at Porompat are also in good progress. Boys’ and Girls’ Hostels in the University complex and an additional Boys’ hostel for Medical College have also been completed.

54. Construction work on residential and non-residential building under the 7th Finance Commission award in the hill areas is progressing steadily and the targets are expected to be met by the end of March, 1984. More than half of the 828 residential quarters have already been completed. Similarly, of the 42 non-residential buildings under construction, 10 have been completed and the remainder will be completed by March, 1984.

INDUSTRIES

55. The outlook on the industrial front has improved considerably with the establishment of a few medium industries in the Sixth Plan. Honourable Members would recall that I had mentioned about the establishment of an Electronics Industry in Manipur in my address last year. The Radio Assembly Unit has produced 900 sets so far. Recently, a Unit for production of black and white TV sets has also been set up in collaboration with Kerala State Electronics Development Corporation. Five thousand sets are expected to be produced in the first year and the capacity will be expanded to 10,000 by the end of fourth year.

56. Considerable work has been done on the Mini Cement plant at Ukhrul and the project is likely to be commissioned by the end of 1984.

57. Manipur Spinning Mill Corporation has so far installed 11,232 spindles which are expected to increase to 17,280 spindles for running 40 frames by March, 1984. The Department has been continuing its efforts to encourage the handloom sector. A sum of Rs. 8.12 lakhs will be spent to benefit 271 Primary Weavers’ Co-operative Societies this year. The Department has also been modernising the primitive low productive throw-shuttle and loin looms by replacing them with fly-shuttle looms.

58. 409 Small Units had been set up by the end of December, 1983 through the District Industries Centres giving employment facilities to 2,597 persons. Besides, the centres have taken up the newly announced special scheme for educated unemployed persons. They will be given subsidy and bank loans under this scheme.

SERICULTURE

59. Every effort is being made to promote sericulture which has tremendous scope in the State. This year, 13.50 lakhs cocoons had been harvested. The figure will go up further by the end of this harvest. The production of raw silk in handloom sector was 35,000 Kgs which is 15% higher than that of last year. Besides the traditional Oak Tasar, efforts are being made to promote mulberry culture also and an area of 100 hectares is being brought under mulbery cultivation for this purpose.

MEDICAL & HEALTH

60. Under the Minimum Needs Programme, 5 New PHCs have been opened this year, raising the total number of PHCs to 36. In addition, 32 PHSCs have also been opened. Two new ANM Schools at Imphal and Churachandpur have been opened to cater to ANM requirements of the State. The 50 bedded Churachandpur District Hospital is being upgraded to a 100 bedded one.

61. This year 8 eye relief camps were organised at various places which were a great success. District Ophthalmic Units have been set up at Churachandpur and Senapati under the National Blindness Programme. The Government of India have also selected R.M.C. as a centre for training of Ophthalmic Assistants in the North-East. This is a 2 ½ years course and 15 students from Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram will be selected for the course every six months.

62. Several measures have been taken for control of communicable diseases like T.B. and Leprosy. A district T.B. control centre is being opened at Chandel and the new 50-bedded ward of T.B. Hospital at Chingmeirong is nearing completion. A new District Epidemiological Unit at Imphal and one at Tamenglong are also being opened.

FAMILY WELFARE

63. With the acquisition of some laparoscopes this year, the Department of Family Welfare is better equipped to handle sterilization operations. So far seven doctors have received training in Laparoscopic Tubal ligation. Besides, over 1,700 Health Guides and 1,400 Dais have been trained in Family Welfare Programme.

64. The Department has been organising camps regularly for providing family planning services. 36 such camps have been organised this year. Mass media publicity has also been carried out to motivate people to adopt family welfare measures.

EDUCATION

65. My Government has appointed an Education Commission this year comprising experts in various fields which will go into the question of raising standard of education in the State as well as making it job-oriented so that the problem of mounting unemployment may be tackled.

66. The State Institute of Education has introduced new Text Books for classes V and VIII this year. The Institute also conducted an orientation programme for teachers of various subjects in the teaching of English as a second language.

67. School Development Committees have been formed with a view to involving the teachers, guardians and the public in the school improvement programme.

68. Grants have been given to over 100 authors for publication of books to promote the regional languages. Efforts are also being made to revive the Meitei Mayek script by introducing it in the schools gradually. A foundry is also being set up for this purpose.

69. A total of 23,000 additional children in the age group 6-14 were enrolled in schools during the year. Free learning materials were provided to 10,000 school children. 150 non-formal Education Centres were also opened for providing education facilities to non-starters and school drop-outs.

70. Rs.55 lakhs have been provided for construction of buildings in the Manipur University this year.

71. Adult Education Programme has been continued to promote Non-Formal Education. Under the State Adult Education project, 258 Centres have been opened. Similarly, 1,200 Centres under Rural Functional Literacy project and 320 Centres under Voluntary Agency projects have also been opened.

SOCIAL WELFARE

72. The coverage of the Integrated Child Development Service has been extended in the State with the opening of 3 new projects at Paomata, Phungyar and Imphal West-II, (Wangoi) Blocks during this year. Besides, the Social Welfare Department have taken up other child welfare measures like opening of children parks in District and Sub-Divisional Headquarters and museum-cum-Doll House at Khuman Lampak.

ARTS & CULTURE

73. Archaeological survey work has been taken up in Beyang (Chandel) and Panjao-Pallum Ching (Kakching). Some iron implements and earthen ware were discovered at the latter site. Excavation at Wangu has revealed some stone implements belonging to the Haobinhian culture. A large number of antiquities were discovered in the survey work at Singjamei, Kshetri Leikai, Mongkhanglambi, Khongman, Major Khul and Bamon Leikai. A total of 488 antiquities have so far been registered in the State. The State Museum acquired many objects of art and antiquity during this year. 

SPORTS & GAMES

74. The State abounds in sports talent and the Government has made all efforts to promote this activity. Competitions were organised in the State at various levels wherein over 10,000 boys and girls participated. Contingents were also sent to participate in various National Level Competitions like All India Rural Sports Tournament, All India Women’s Sports Festival etc. 

75. Our boys and girls have done well at various levels. The Junior Handball Team of both boys and girls won the National Championship conducted at Faridabad and Maharashtra. Four junior boys of the State won gold Medals in the All India Junior Archery Competition held at Imphal.

76. In order to provide our talented youngsters the required facilities, mini-stadia have been constructed at 5 District Headquarters and 3 more will be constructed in the remaining ones. One Community Hall-cum-Indoor stadium has been constructed at Imphal with an investment of over Rs. 16 lakhs. The work on Sports Complex at Khuman Lampak is in progress. The Government of India has also been approached for establishment of one NIS Patiala type of Sports Complex at Imphal.

INFORMATION & PUBLIC RELATIONS

77. The Information & Public Relations Department plays a major role in moulding of public opinion and dissemination of information relating to the activities of the Government regularly. The Department has been publishing ‘Manipur To-day’ in English and the ‘Manipur’ in Manipuri with this end in view. The Information Centre of the Department now has more than 5,000 books on various subjects. The Department also organised several Press Conferences/Meets. 

78. For the first time in the State news print was made available to the small newspapers against the State quota through the Manipur Wholesale Co-operative Society Ltd.

TOURISM

79. The problem of accommodation faced by tourists in the State will be eased considerably with the opening of the new wing of the Imphal Tourist Lodge. Work on Khongjom Tourist Home is in good progress. 

LABOUR & EMPLOYMENT

80. The Employment Registers in the State continue to swell. 19,508 persons including 437 women got their names registered with Employment Exchanges up to October, 1983 raising the total number to 1,66,893. A total of 717 persons including 197 women were placed in employments during the period. 

81. One new Coaching-cum-Guidance Centre has been opened at Imphal in May, 1983 in order to promote employment opportunities. 

82. At present there are 6 ITI’s in the State where training in 14 different trades is imparted. The total number of seats is now 587. This year 587 persons under Craftsman Training Scheme and 55 persons under Apprenticeship Training Scheme have been trained, out of whom 75% have already been employed in Government and private workshops.

83. In order to protect the interests of the low-wage group, 14 more trades have been added to the schedule to the Minimum Wages Act. 

LOCAL SELF GOVERNMENT

84. My Government is taking a keen interest in the planned development of various urban areas and towns. The Master Plan for Greater Imphal is in the process of implementation. Master Plans for Kakching, Ukhrul, Chandel and Tamenglong have also been completed. 

FOOD & CIVIL SUPPLIES

85. With a view to strengthening the public distribution net-work, more fair price shops were opened at all important centres in the valley as well as in the hill area. The total number of rationing agents and fair price shops in the State is now 1,226.

86. During the period under report the Department had procured over 24,000 MT of rice and over 2,000 MT of sugar besides large quantity of edible oils and cement. Over 26,000 MT of rice, 2,700 tonnes of sugar and 3,000 MT of edible oils were distributed through Government nominated stockists and dealers at Government controlled prices. 

MANIPUR DEVELOPMENT SOCIETY

87. The Manipur Development Society was set up in January last to implement some specified employment generating programmes in Manipur. It has already generated employment potentialities by issuing work orders for 306 MI schemes costing Rs. 116.70 lakhs to Beneficiary Committees till January, 1984. Seeds, fertilisers etc. were distributed free of cost to benefit 2,300 farmers with a coverage of 1,137.47 hectares. Other infrastructures for industrialisation have also been created by setting up Design-cum-Production Centres, Sales Depots etc. besides taking up work on beautification of some parts of Imphal Town. The Society has incurred an expenditure of Rs.66.01 lakhs during 1983-84 on various programmes. 

88. Honourable Members, I have endeavoured to briefly narrate the achievements of my Government in the current year. Our main objective has been to take the fullest advantage of the relatively peaceful conditions prevailing in the State to step up the tempo of development activities. My Government remains committed to the cause of socialists democracy and upliftment of the weaker sections and I sincerely believe that we shall be able to succeed, if we have the whole-hearted co-operation of the Honourable Members and the people.

89. I extend my best wishes to all of you in your deliberations.

JAI HIND