Manipur CM takes charge of Power, Works and Finance dept

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh Thursday took charge of key departments of Finance, Power and Public Works department, an official said.

Earlier Deputy Chief Minister Joykumar Singh was in charge of the Finance department while the Power and Public Works department were with Th Biswajit Singh.

A Cabinet meeting was held on Wednesday to discuss the financial crisis in the state as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a ban on all transaction of funds from the account of Manipur government with effect from June for having overdrawn in excess of arrangements agreed upon with the bank.

The Cabinet has authorised the chief minister to take all necessary disciplinary actions to imbibe a culture of financial prudence and propriety in key state government departments, a release issued by the Chief Minister's secretariat said on Thursday.

A thorough investigation of the sanction procedures and financial management would be conducted for all key departments. The government is committed to bringing a new phase wherein financial discipline will be the hallmark of governance. The government also assures its employees that timely disbursement of salaries and benefits will not be impact, the release said.

The chief minister's secretariat issued an order stating that it was noted that huge amounts were withdrawn by Public Works and Power department during the period of March to May, 2019 while the Model Code of Conduct was in force.

The order said that a three-committee comprising Principal secretary V Vumlunmang, commissioner-cum-secretary Nidhi Kesarwani and deputy secretary W Ajit Singh would examine the large withdrawals by other departments.