IMPHAL, December 20: Any individual who poses a threat to the unity and integrity of the state by provoking communal tension will not be spared. He will be rewarded with befitting actions for his anti-social engagement, said chief minister O Ibobi.
Communal aggression will not be tolerated. We are equal and must stick together under the provisions of the Indian Constitution and the major communities have no right to discriminate against the minority communities.
This was stated during the observation of Minority Rights Day 2013 held at Maharaja Chandrakirti Auditorium, Palace Compound today.
He remarked that in Manipur many communities are co-existing amicably and never thought that they are linguistically or ethnically in the minority in secular India. The Constitution of India protects every rights and no one can discriminate minority rights too, he added.
Ibobi proposed that members of the Minority Commission and other intellectuals working for the welfare of minorities submit written suggestions for their welfare. In this way the government can identify the grievances of the minority people, he stated.
CM further disclosed that the chief secretary of state has been advised to monitor the government schemes taken up for the SC/OBC. He promised to personally supervise the implementation of the schemes and take up quarterly checking along with the chief secretary. If necessary the MOBC and SC directorate will be bifurcated, he said.
He appealed to the beneficiaries of post and pre-metric scholarship to open their own bank accounts. The state government has submitted utilization certificates for their scholarships and now under the new national policy for scholarship, the money will be distributed directly through the bank accounts of the students.
He asked every student of MOBC who had applied for scholarship to own personal accounts so that the cash may be transferred directly to them. Even cash incentives for the students will be deposited to the personal bank accounts of the particular students, he added.
The president at the function A Halim Choudhury said that minority commission was established in 2004 with a single member. The commission sought written application from qualified persons from the public for appointment as its members but none had submitted. In 2009, the government had upgraded educational institutions in areas where minority are predominant and encouraged girls who want to take up higher studies, he stated.
Md Fajur Rahim, Parliamentary Secretary MOBC and SC and Science and Technology, delivered his guest of honour speech and stated that minorities in the state are being treated very well with allotment of benefits scheme and policy. However, he said the fund of Rs 8.5 lakhs for the widow women pension scheme is little short and asked for increment.
MLA Md Amin Shah, MLA Paonam Brojen, Chief Secretary PC Lawmkunga, Prof MS Ningomba, Rev N Devendra were also present as the guests of honour.