Ever Since Manipur came into its modern inception as a state, it had a poor record of law and order scenarios. Any developmental effort was thwarted by bandh and hartals. Lacklustre attitude by Congress CMs did not help the cause as well. Now, the BJP’s developmental model has worked wonders in the state.
Manipur is being governed by BJP led coalition
Manipur, one of the main pillars of India’s regional politics is currently being ruled by a coalition led by BJP, which has won 21 seats in the 2017 elections. In 2017, BJP formed a coalition government in the state with support from the National People’s Party (NPP) and Naga People’s Front (NPF) which won four seats each.
The party also got support from, one MLA each from Trinamool Congress, Lok Jan Shakti Party and a lone independent member. N. Biren Singh, the former footballer is currently chief minister of state. He has focused on all-around development in Manipur.
Improved law and order
One of the most commendable achievements of the BJP government in Manipur is that the divide between the non-tribal dominated Imphal Valley and the tribal-dominated hills that surround the Valley has eased. This has resulted in the curbing of militancy.
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Eight insurgent groups have been negotiated with and about 3,000 militants have surrendered their weapons and joined the mainstream of society. Recently, Amit Shah, India’s home minister commented, “Before coming to power in Manipur, we had promised to end bandh, hartal and blockade. We have ended all the three and significantly improved the law and order situation in Manipur,”
Job creation in Manipur
Manipur Youth had a massive dearth of jobs. Add to that, bandhs and blockades create hindrance in the daily lives of citizens. The law and order situation was not conducive to the business environment. N. Biren Singh changed that.
Under Biren Singh, improved law and order in the state positively affected the registration of new businesses. Up until July (2021), 11,172 MSMEs were registered from the state. This resulted in the employment of 99,568 jobs in the state. Start-Up Manipur, TRIFED played a key role in it.
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Connectivity
Manipur is located at the far north-east corner of India, so connectivity with the rest of India is one of the key issues for people. N. Biren Singh along with the Modi government has brought in some massive connectivity projects for the state.
- Imphal-Kangchup-Tamenglong road under South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) is being constructed to connect Tousem (Manipur) through the East-West Corridor to Halflong in Assam.
- Widening and remolding of Imphal-Moreh highway is also being taken up on war like strategy.
- Lanes of Lilong-Wangjing road is also being increased at the cost of Rs 16.3 billion. The project is being funded by Asian Development Bank (ADB).
ASEAN and Act East Policy
Since, Manipur is key to India’s Act East Policy, India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway is being rejuvenated. The Highway connects Moreh (Manipur) to Mae Sot in Thailand via Myanmar. Its total length is 1,360 km. This highway will change the face of tourism and trade in the state. It will widen the scope for cross-border trade with ASEAN region.
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Asian Highway No. 1 and the Trans-Asian Railway Network (TARN) are some of the other key projects enhancing Manipur’s future developmental prospects. Enhanced international entry and exit points at the Moreh (Manipur) and Tamu (Myanmar) are also expected to provide a booster dose to cross border trade.
Key achievements of N. Biren Singh government in Manipur
- Before Biren assumed power, only 5 percent households in Manipur had a tap water supply. Today, it is more than 51 percent, with the government aiming for 4.5 lakh households by March, under the Jal Jeevan Mission.
- Biren has done admirable work in the education sector as well. His government introduced School Fagathansi Mission and covered 60 schools which increased enrollment in Government schools by 25 percent.
- Additionally, two hundred and thirty-seven schools spread across the State have been amalgamated to nearby schools having better infrastructure, better connectivity under the mission for overall improvement.
- Under Chief Minister-gi Hakshelgi Tengbang (CMHT) and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), 8.09 lakhs beneficiaries had been enrolled and 1.1 lakh beneficiaries had received free treatment worth 123 crores rupees till October 2021.
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BJP has given to Manipurians exactly what they were vouching for the last 50 years. The state has witnessed an all-around development. There seems to be no anti-incumbency wave in the state. It’s highly unlikely that people will desert a political party that has done so much for the state.