Six districts to get Rs. 3700 crore; DPS branch under consideration: Khurshid

IMPHAL, Feb 10 : The Central government has consented to sanction a sum of Rs. 3700 crores for the development of six districts of Manipur including Thoubal district under the multi-sectorial development programme (MSDP).

This was stated by Union minister of state for welfare of minorities Salman Khurshid at the function of laying of foundation stones for the construction of Liliong Industrial Training Institute (ITI) and 10 water supply schemes of Thoubal district held today at Lilong Mairenkhul, Thoubal.

The Union minister further asserted that the UPA government under the able leadership of Dr. Manmohan Singh has taken up various programmes for the welfare and upliftment of the minorities of the country.

He also stated that people should try to extract optimum benefits from the various flagship programmes of the government and added the ITI and water supply schemes would benefit all the people of Thoubal district regardless of religions and caste.

The Union minister also expressed desire for establishing a branch school of Delhi Public School (DPS) in Manipur to boost the educational standard of the state.

Speaking at the function, chief minister Okram Ibobi maintained that six districts of Manipur namely Thoubal, Churachandpur, Chandel, Tamenglong, Senapati and Ukhrul have been included among the 90 districts sorted out for implementing the multi-sectorial development programme which is one of the flagship programmes of UPA government.

The MSDP aims at developing the regions inhabited mostly by backward minorities and Thoubal is the only valley district of Manipur which has been chosen for such a purposeful programme, he added.

Ibobi stressed that the muslim minorities of the state should preserve their own culture and religion but they should not ignore education which is a key factor for development, and appealed the people to maintain peace and harmony amongst the various communities of the state.

The function was also attended by health and family welfare minister Ph. Parijat, PHED and IPR minister TN Haokip, MOBC minister Md. Allaudin Khan, MLA Surchandra, MLA Lokeshwar and officials of Thoubal district administration and state minorities commission.

The Lilong ITI is to be constructed at an estimated cost of rupees 7.91 crores while the ten water schemes are to be taken up at an estimated cost of rupees 7.20 crores at Singa, Konuma, Phundrei, Sangaiyumpham-I, Sangaiyumpham-II, Sora, Phouden, Moijing, Ningel and Chingkham of Thoubal district.