Manipur govt to provide collateral-free loans up to Rs 50,000 to violence displaced people: CM

The Manipur government would provide collateral-free loans up to Rs 50,000 to the ethnic violence displaced people under the Chief Minister’s Entrepreneurship Support Scheme (CMESS), Chief Minister N. Biren Singh announced here on Tuesday. 

The Chief Minister said that the government has already provided loans under the scheme to around 426 displaced people to support their entrepreneurial activities.

He also urged the people to apply for financial assistance under the scheme.

Addressing the media, he said that startups in the state, funded by the state government and running successfully, would employ violence-affected displaced people and seven of them have been identified and are ready to employ 432 displaced people.

“Under the One Family One Livelihood” scheme, loans up to Rs 10 lakh with a 30 per cent subsidy shall be provided to the targeted 5,000 beneficiaries," he said, adding that so far, 745 have been shortlisted and 9 have been provided loans for support. He encouraged youths to apply and get benefits under the Scheme.

The Chief Minister said that with the government's endless efforts, a total of 2,058 displaced families (7,549 persons) have been able to return to their original place of residence.

He stated that the government has released Rs 30 crore for the distribution of Rs 1,000 per person for the people taking shelter in relief camps and five instalments have been completed so far.

For relief camp operations, a total of Rs 280 crore has been released so far, the Chief Minister said adding that the government also granted a compensatory package of Rs 32 crore for the affected farmers.

Weekly medical checkups are done in all the relief camps and 18,911 visits have been made so far and provide essential drugs for the inmates.

Biren Singh said that students in the relief camps have been provided free admission to government schools and colleges, while for those studying in private schools, the government has provided 50 per cent of the expenses.

Under the support for employment and livelihood programmes, the government has given priority to the inmates staying at the relief camps as they could not find suitable work to support their livelihood, he stated.

The state government has set up 302 relief camps in different districts to provide shelter to over 59,000 violence-affected men, women and children.

Manipur Chief Minister said that the Aadhaar-linked Birth Registration would be launched in three districts of the state soon.

The newborn Aadhaar would be generated linking it to the mother’s Aadhaar numbers.

The child’s Aadhaar would be updated every five years and this would enable the government to capture children’s data from birth, provide accurate demographic data and easy access to Government Schemes. This activity shall help the state, in the long term, to protect the indigenous population.

Singh said that around Rs 70 crore have been sanctioned for the construction of a 60-bed state Mental Hospital under PM DevINE and work has been started.

A sum of Rs 104 crore has been sanctioned for the Super Speciality Healthcare (Infrastructure and Equipment) project in five district hospitals -- Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong, Senapati, and Jiribam.

Under the Chief Minister’s Teachers Achievement Award, awards will be given yearly to a maximum of 50 primary teachers, 30 graduate teachers and 25 lecturers.

Biren Singh said that under PM Surya Ghar – Muft Bijli Yojana, the government is providing rooftop solar for residential homes at subsidised rates, and encouraged the people to register and apply on the portal to get the benefits of the scheme.

On confirming that Ukhrul does not have any properly functioning de-addiction centre, the government will construct a rehabilitation centre in the district, he added.

The Chief Minister said that the Plantation of Oil Palm would be expanded to about 9000 Ha in Imphal East, Thoubal, Kakching, and Jiribam districts.

He also announced that five cold storage units will be set up with a project cost of Rs 10 crore in the state.