Manipur News

IMPHAL, Feb 10 NNN: The agitation of the All Tribal Students Union, Manipur (ATSUM) has been suspended temporarily since 6 pm today.
ATSUM leaders informed NNN that following the invitation from the state government for talks, the students’ body has decided to suspend its agitation.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RD & PR) minister Francis Ngajokpa and MLA Kikhonbou had a meeting with the ATSUM leaders today.
On February 16 at 3 pm the state government representatives and ATSUM leaders will hold a meeting on the demands of the tribal students’ body.
ATSUM has been agitating since February 3 midnight banning all the ongoing construction works of the national projects in the hill districts. The most affected project has been the rail-line construction of Imphal-Siclchar. Construction works of railway line have been severely affected ever since the tribal students began its agitation.
Mention may be made here that ATSUM on November 27 last year, ATSUM had apprised the government of Manipur to address issues pertaining to tribal people of Manipur and the hill districts.
The apex tribal students’ body of Manipur in its lengthy memorandum submitted to the chief minister of Manipur had demanded Manipur State Commission for the Scheduled Tribes.
ATSUM also demanded for the setting up of B.Ed centres in the hill districts. It also demanded that adequate teaching and non-teaching staff in the education institutions in the hill districts with better infrastructure.
Signed by its president Maun Tombing and its general secretary Vareiyo Shatsang, ATSUM in its memorandum said, “It has been our long standing aspiration to find a State Commission of the Scheduled Tribes in Manipur under the Article 338A of the Indian Constitution which would usher in all round Development and progress in respect of the nTribal people in this eastern most part of the Indian Union. The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes which came in to force on 19th February, 2004 has failed to provide
adequate service to the state of Manipur a it is based on the distant centre in Shillong”.
According to the ATSUM memorandum, the state of Karnataka in 2002 had established the State Commission for SC/ST under the name and style ‘The Karnataka State Commission
for Scheduled Tribes Act, 2002′. It said the tribal population is the second largest in the state of Manipur but the pace of development is rather too slow till today comparing to that of the non-tribal populace. There has been the Manipur state Commission for OBC which meant to safeguard the rights of the other backward classes, the ATSUM representation added.
In the light of the above facts and circumstances, it is our earnest plea that the Manipur State Commission for the ST be set up in the earnest date, the tribal students’ body stated.
ATSUM then demanded for the setting up of B.Ed centres in hill districts of Manipur.
“Even the HSLC examination centres are very often treated as temporary arrangement subject to omission and commission. It is demanded that B.Ed centres be set up in all the five hill districts where TET can be conducted,” the tribal students’ body demanded.
The memorandum of ATSUM also mentioned that the crisis in the newly set up Indra Gandhi National Tribal University (IGNTU) Regional Compus in Manipur is put to a situation of
breaking down totally because all the required infrastructures and issues have not been properly attended to by the authorities concerned. “There is no end to the students’ agitations against many lapses in the University. Xerox copy of the MoU signed between students and the vice chancellor is enclosed herewith for kind perusal. It is our earnest plea for your urgent intervention before things turn from bad to worse,” ATSUM note cautions.
One point of the ATSUM memorandum said, “We demand adequate number of both teaching and non-teaching staff in the educational institutions in the hill areas of Manipur state.
We also demand that proper infrastructures for the educational institutions in the five hill districts be provided promptly as to facilitate smooth functioning of the academic sessions”.
“The recruitment of junior Manipur Civil Service (MCS) rule latest amendment published in Manipur Gazette Extra Ordinary Dt. 06/03/2012 U/S 2(2) & (3) clearly states that there shall
be 2 grades i.e. (I). Junior MCS, Junior Grade (II) Senior MCS, Senior Grade. The clauses 3 states that the post of Junior MCS, senior Grade shall be class I Gazetted while the post of
Junior MCS, Junior Grade be Class II Gazetted. We demand that justice be delivered at the time of conducting DPC in respect of SC & ST requiring promotion in accordance with the
Manipur Reservation of vacancies in posts and Services (for ST&SC) Rules, 2011 published on 17/05/2011,” another part of the tribal students’ body memo pointed out.
The memo also touched on the tribal rights and the issue of the natural resources and said, “Protection of the rights of the indigenous tribal people over the land, forest and management of natural resources in the hill areas of Manipur should be taken care of by the Government as to dispense of justice guaranteed by the law of the land. It has been our firm stand to safeguard such rights and against unjust tapping of natural resources without prior information and consent of the indigenous land owners. Any arbitrary extraction of natural, mineral resources and acquisition of lands cannot be tolerated any more longer. The ATSUM shall be compelled to mobilize for all kinds of action programmes and agitation through the democratic means, should the Government stay in deferent to the genuine demand”.
“It is aggrieved to note that the state of Manipur had gone a head with the imposed village Authorities election, 2012 arbitrarily. The boycott call by all sections of the hill people represented by many civil societies and other voluntary organization, was not respected by government of Manipur. Mixed response was received in return when many villages boycott the said election. The right of the indigenous people and traditional systems are aversely affected by the state policy to disrobe the title of village Chief/Headman as Ex-Officio Chairman by the arbitrary amendment of section 3(4) of the Manipur Hill village Authorities Act 1956. It is demanded that the state Government display leniency by reviewing the steps taken against the tribal people’s interests. In the light of the above fact and circumstances, we appeal to your dynamic leadership to extend genuine concern and rational consideration for dispense of justice once and for all,” the apex tribal students’ body of Manipur demanded.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/atsum-stir-suspended/

Mail News Service
Imphal, Feb 10 : As part of Military Civic Action Programme, Commander Loktak Brigade, Brigadier PC Nair flagged off 18 days National Integration Tour on 10 Feb 2013.
The Commander complimented the students for their keenness shown to participate in the National Integration Tour which was formulated with an intention to give the youth from the remote areas of Manipur an excellent opportunity to have a fair glance of the rich heritage and legacy of the country. He also mentioned that the Red Shield Division and its units have been a frontrunner in fostering peace and harmony in the state of Manipur.
The Commander also mentioned that he is confident that the tour will imprint positive views in these youth and will help them appreciate the paybacks of fostering peace and prosperity in the region. He also complimented the conducting infantry battalion for the efforts rendered in formulating and coordinating the tour.
The NIT team comprises of 16 students and 04 teachers of which 11 are boys and 05 are girls. The students are from all the communities of Manipur rom various schools of Manipur and this would be a good opportunity to travel out of the state of Manipur. The team is scheduled to visit South India in Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad.
NIT tour will return back on 28 Feb 13 at Moirang.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/18-day-nit-flagged-off/

Imphal Feb 10 UNA : A weeklong campaign on public distribution system (PDS) kicked off on Sunday slammed the present system of distribution of PDS items in Manipur, alleging that actual beneficiaries were deprived of their rights.
The United People’s Struggle Committee (UPSC), a conglomerate of several civil organizations, launched the weeklong campaign to make people aware general public on the irregularities in the distribution of PDS items to the beneficiaries in Manipur.
The campaign was flagged off by president of the Senior Citizen for Society M Binoy who is also the chief advisor of the UPSC at a function held at the office premises of the CPI(ML) Manipur state council, RIMS road, Imphal.
Speaking on the occasion, M Binoy slammed the present system of PDS items distribution alleging that actual beneficiaries were deprived of getting the benefits of the system.
“How the country could be called a free country when the poor were denied from getting their share. So long as poor people continue to suffer, the so called freedom as no significance,” he said, asserting that the real freedom will come only when the plight of the poor and downtrodden people were addressed and treated them equivalent with the rich people.
President of the UPSC M Radhesana Devi observed that influential people, particularly politicians have been hijacking the share of the poor people for their own benefits, alleging that PDS items were not regularly distributed to the AAY and BPL card holders.
Central government has been providing a huge quantity of rice, sugar and other items to the state too like in other states on monthly basis for distribution at subsidize rates to the BPL and AAY card holders. However, actual quantity which the card holders were to get could not be received at affordable rates as powerful people and influential people siphoned off the same.
She further blamed state consumer affairs, food and public distribution department for distributing wastage items to the poor people, alleging that fine quality have been hijacking by politicians in collusion with top ranking officials of the department.
The weeklong campaign was targeting to cover various places across the state to aware on the benefits which BPL and AAY holders were to get under the PDS.

Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/weeklong-campaign-on-pds-system/