THE economic blockade of Manipur’s two national highways by the Sadar Hills Districthood Demand Committee that started on 1 August continues. It wants the existing Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council to be upgraded to a full-fledged entity.
Some of their leaders met the Prime Minister and Union home minister in Delhi to seek their intervention. Even chief minister Ibobi Singh held discussions with Central leaders. A committee has been formed to reorganise the police district boundary to streamline the administration. It is surprising, indeed, that even for a state subject the Manipuris have to shuttle between Imphal and New Delhi.
Manipur’s MP from the Outer Constituency told a Press conference in New Delhi on 18 August 2011 that the issue of creation of a district was a “state subject”. He repeated this at a Press conference in Imphal early this month. The United Naga Council, which opposes the demand, has also started a counter-blockade. Slowly the demand is turning into a Naga versus Kuki issue.
As of now, everyone, including the state government, seems to accept that the creation of a Sadar Hills district is far too complicated, complex and sensitive.
If one looks back at the Naga-Kuki conflict in the matter of creating a Sadar Hills district, it is worth recall that the Manipur government’s planning and development department in February 1972 issued a notification for the creation of six autonomous district councils and Sadar Hills is one of them. Five of the autonomous councils are said to have been upgraded to full-fledged districts. Later, in 1982, the Manipur Cabinet decided to create three districts, including Sadar Hills, with Kangpokpi as its headquarters. The others were Thoubal and Bishnupur.
Then Governor ON Srivastava told the assembly in 1997 that “my government’s decision for creation of a new district for Sadar Hills is also being implemented”. In January 2000, the Cabinet reaffirmed its decision on Sadar Hill district. The proceeding minutes noted: Inauguration may be done!
So one wonders why Sadar Hills continues to remain an autonomous council. Is it because of the early 1990s’ Naga-Kuki conflict? Or is some third party involved? If the SHDDC’s stand is to be taken into consideration, those inhabiting Sadar Hills have no qualms about demanding a district and that the problems actually arise from outside the Sadar Hills. In fact, the SHDDC comprises, apart from the majority Kuki community, elected representatives of different communities, including Nepalis, Marings and Zeliangrongs. In such a scenario, it is time that political leaders and elected representatives took an interest in solving the issue amicably. The “wait and watch game” has cost the state dearly.
In any case, whether or not a Sadar Hills district is created, it is not going to narrow the ethnic divide. If one goes back to the history of the administrative reorganisation of Manipur, since attaining statehood in 1971 the issue of Sadar Hills may not appear to be so complex or complicated as is being made out to be.
The Statesman October 31, 2011
100 days of employment
MANIPUR’s Churachandpur district bordering Myanmar and Mizoram is one of the ten-top recipients of the award for good performance (2009-201) in implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Under the scheme jobs were provided to 51,934 villagers and 4.8 lakh households have benefited since its introduction in 2008.
They were engaged in activities like construction of inter-village roads, making canals, flood control and anti-drought measures, water conservation, harvesting, land development and renovation of traditional water body.
The emergence of a large number of “employees” has kept the district headquarters of Lamka busy. Today on a working day one can see long queues before the State Bank of India and United Bank of India ATMs.
Holding a bank account is mandatory for every job card holder. There are also Manipur State Co-operative Bank and Lamka co-operative Bank. However, none of the revenue sub-divisions or tribal development blocks of Churachandpur, Samulamlan, Singat, Thanlon, Tipaimukh and Henglep has such facility. Comparatively, Imphal West has as many as 53 public and private banks. Tamenglong and Ukhrul have one each.
Senapati district has three. Incidentally, Senapati tops the chart in providing employment (76,859 job cards). It was also among the list of 24 recipients of NREGA Excellence Award 2008 - 2009 No “employees” were said to have lodged complaints so far in respect of non- payment of minimum equal wage. Every job card holder, man and woman, gets more than Rs 60 per day. Most workers are women, from teenagers to 70 years old.
According to the statistical data record of the Union ministry of rural development, women constitute 47.97 per cent of employment provided in the state. It is as high as 99.97 per cent in Imphal East, as low as 10.31 per cent in Ukhrul, and above 50 per cent in districts like Bishenpur and Imphal West. Chandel, Tamenglong. Senapati and Thoubal recorded between 30-50 per cent.
Living in rural areas and willingness to do unskilled work (as per schedule II section 5 of the Act) is also a boon for women as they qualify to this pre-condition for entitlement to employment guaranteed in the Act. It, therefore, facilitates more women participation and their income generation.
As per the guidelines of the Act, employment is confined to informal manual work. While most “employees / labourers” want their wages in cash (this is easier, faster and definitely simpler), formalisation/institutionalisation of wage payments through banks is sometime “unrealistic” and “chaotic.” NREGA being a rural entity, half of the workers of this rural population are not only unskilled but are also illiterate.
Work and wages apart, many NREGA sites in Churachandpur serve as places for interactions and discussions. Incidentally, “community participation’ is the key factor in recognition for the NREGA award for districts as well. In its present approach and response, it can be said that NREGA has restored the lost paradise of this once peaceful district. In 1997 Churachandpur was torn apart by ethnic clashes between majority Zomis and minority Kukis in which several innocent lives were lost. Now that peace has returned, it must be sustained through even more upgraded NREGA schemes (of wage disbursement), not only in Manipur but in other North-east states as well.
They were engaged in activities like construction of inter-village roads, making canals, flood control and anti-drought measures, water conservation, harvesting, land development and renovation of traditional water body.
The emergence of a large number of “employees” has kept the district headquarters of Lamka busy. Today on a working day one can see long queues before the State Bank of India and United Bank of India ATMs.
Holding a bank account is mandatory for every job card holder. There are also Manipur State Co-operative Bank and Lamka co-operative Bank. However, none of the revenue sub-divisions or tribal development blocks of Churachandpur, Samulamlan, Singat, Thanlon, Tipaimukh and Henglep has such facility. Comparatively, Imphal West has as many as 53 public and private banks. Tamenglong and Ukhrul have one each.
Senapati district has three. Incidentally, Senapati tops the chart in providing employment (76,859 job cards). It was also among the list of 24 recipients of NREGA Excellence Award 2008 - 2009 No “employees” were said to have lodged complaints so far in respect of non- payment of minimum equal wage. Every job card holder, man and woman, gets more than Rs 60 per day. Most workers are women, from teenagers to 70 years old.
According to the statistical data record of the Union ministry of rural development, women constitute 47.97 per cent of employment provided in the state. It is as high as 99.97 per cent in Imphal East, as low as 10.31 per cent in Ukhrul, and above 50 per cent in districts like Bishenpur and Imphal West. Chandel, Tamenglong. Senapati and Thoubal recorded between 30-50 per cent.
Living in rural areas and willingness to do unskilled work (as per schedule II section 5 of the Act) is also a boon for women as they qualify to this pre-condition for entitlement to employment guaranteed in the Act. It, therefore, facilitates more women participation and their income generation.
As per the guidelines of the Act, employment is confined to informal manual work. While most “employees / labourers” want their wages in cash (this is easier, faster and definitely simpler), formalisation/institutionalisation of wage payments through banks is sometime “unrealistic” and “chaotic.” NREGA being a rural entity, half of the workers of this rural population are not only unskilled but are also illiterate.
Work and wages apart, many NREGA sites in Churachandpur serve as places for interactions and discussions. Incidentally, “community participation’ is the key factor in recognition for the NREGA award for districts as well. In its present approach and response, it can be said that NREGA has restored the lost paradise of this once peaceful district. In 1997 Churachandpur was torn apart by ethnic clashes between majority Zomis and minority Kukis in which several innocent lives were lost. Now that peace has returned, it must be sustained through even more upgraded NREGA schemes (of wage disbursement), not only in Manipur but in other North-east states as well.
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