Mizoram delegation meets Jitendra Singh, seeks more powers to autonomous bodies

A delegation of Mizoram autonomous district councils on Sunday met Union minister Jitendra Singh and sought more political and developmental powers to the self-governing bodies, officials said.

During the meeting here, the delegation urged Singh, Union Minister for Development of the North Eastern Region (DoNER), for implementation of some of the projects being put forward by them.

Among the various demands raised by the members of the delegation was to give more political and developmental powers to autonomous district councils in Mizoram and implementation of some of the proposals put across earlier, the officials said.

While giving a patience hearing to the delegation, Singh said the Narendra Modi government has always been very considerate and sympathetic, they said.

Singh said while the Ministry of DoNER is already doing whatever possible in this direction, some of the demands put across by the delegation will be forwarded for consideration by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The delegation comprised representatives of Lai, Mara and Chakma autonomous district councils as well as the leaders of the coordination communities representing the three.

Singh recalled that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had, during his recent visit to Aizawl, met different sections of people and taken a note of the inputs put across by them.

He also referred to the initiative taken by Shah, as Chairman of North Eastern Council (NEC), to propose allocation of exclusive funds from the North Eastern Council budget for the deprived sections and neglected areas.

Referring to the personal attention being paid by the prime minister to the welfare and development of Mizoram and other parts of the North Eastern region, Singh recalled that it was from Aizawl that he had distributed the first lot of financial assistance through Venture Fund provided by the Ministry of DoNER, the officials said.