Highlighted issues faced by Manipur people at NEC meet: Guv

Stressing that people in remote areas do not understand Hindi or English, Manipur Governor Najma Heptullah has said she highlighted the need to translate literature of all central schemes into local languages, during the recently concluded North East Council (NEC) plenary.

There are people who are not aware of the essential schemes, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi had initiated after coming to power, just because they are conversant only in local dialects, she said.

"It is necessary that vendors get to know about the schemes related to health insurance and pension," the governor asserted at Raj Bhavan yesterday.

Barring Assam, seven states in the North East Region, face similar kind of problems, Heptullah said.

The governor also said that the state lacks adequate resources for development projects.

"During the meeting, I clearly mentioned that the parameter for devolution of the funds should not be based on size and population but on developmental index," she stated.

Briefing the media persons, Heptullah also said that she emphasized the need to maintain the dying Loktak Lake, a popular attraction for tourists in the state.

Asked about the upcoming projects in the state, the governor retorted that it was "better to finish the existing ones first".

At the two-day NEC plenary, earlier this month, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, as the chairperson, discussed ways and solutions to develop the region with chief ministers and governors of the northeast states, in presence of Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) Jitendra Singh.