Manipur: No govt benefits for residents of unrecognised villages

The Manipur Cabinet on Thursday, 10 October, decided that people living in unrecognised villages in the state can no longer receive government schemes such as MGNREGA, a senior minister said.

The decision came two days after chief minister N. Biren Singh said that several officials had given recognition to hill villages for the benefit of their community, without obtaining approval from the state government.

He had also said that residents of such villages would not get government facilities.

"Only the villages recognised by the government will be given government schemes. This will include MGNREGA. These (benefits) will not be given to the people living in unrecognised villages,” health minister Sapam Ranjan told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

One just cannot set up a village, give it a name and avail benefits of those schemes, said Ranjan, also the government spokesperson.

“We cannot have villages growing by leaps and bounds. So, it is important to follow rules," he said.

At the cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister, 51 listed agenda items and some unlisted agenda items were discussed, Ranjan said.

“The cabinet also reviewed the disturbed area status in the state,” he said.

The government had on Monday, 7 October, extended the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) by another six months in Manipur, excluding 19 police station areas falling under the Imphal valley and a region that shares its boundary with Assam.

On the dengue situation in the state, Ranjan said the health department is doing everything to contain the issue.

“Coordinated and responsible efforts with the public is required to reduce the source of dengue. We have to destroy the breeding grounds. I reiterate it once again, if we take (dengue) lightly, it will be serious for all of us," the health minister said.

He said that the number of dengue cases is lower now in comparison to that last year.

“Till yesterday, there have been 1,195 cases with Imphal and Imphal West district together accounting for 1,070 cases. We have lost 3–4 precious lives to dengue,” Ranjan said.

The spokesperson said the cabinet also discussed recruitment of jobs on contract for different departments, appointments on compassionate grounds in the police department and getting land for establishment of a police station at Joujangtek area.