Development pace has not lost momentum : CM

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jan 16 : In spite of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing crisis, the State’s development pace in MSME, StartUp, agriculture and horticulture sectors has not lost the momentum, claimed Chief Minister N Biren.
The Chief Minister was speaking at a State level workshop on RAMP and UNNATI held at City Convention Centre here today.
Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) was launched by the Ministry of MSME in 2022 to bring about recovery of MSME from the impacts of Covid-19 pandemic.
The five year programme of RAMP targets 5,55,000 MSME units and its project outlay is Rs 6062 crore.
Out of the total Rs 6062 crore, Rs 3750 crore would come from the World Bank as loan while the remaining Rs 2312 crore would be funded by the Government of India.  
Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme 2024 (UNNATI 2024) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 9, 2024 with the main objectives of enhancing the industrial ecosystem in the North East and attracting new investments to the region.    
Speaking at the State level workshop on RAMP and UNNATI 2024 which was organised by the Department of Trade, Commerce and Industries, Chief Minister N Biren claimed that the State’s development pace has not slowed down a bit from March 2017 till date.
Even though several restrictions were put in place on people’s movement and economic activities for almost two years and a half on account of the Covid-19 pandemic and the protracted crisis, the State’s development pace in areas like MSME, StartUp, agriculture and horticulture has not lost  any momentum as compared to the earlier period, Biren said.
“The hard-working nature of Manipuri people is a matter of pride for all of us. Manipur stands first in the country in terms of involvement of women in the MSME sector. Among the North Eastern States, Manipur ranks first in business registration in the MSME sector”, Biren said.
The population of Manipur constitutes 0.2 per cent of the total population of India but 0.3 per cent of all MSME registrations across the country is recorded in Manipur, he said.
Nonetheless, he expressed keen desire for the educated youths to do more research and work harder.
The Chief Minister went on to claim that the StartUp initiative not only enables many people to earn decent incomes for themselves but also creates employment for many others.
So far 2575 individuals have benefited from the Manipur State Credit Guarantee Scheme where the State Government declared it would take responsibility in case of any default.
In total, the beneficiaries have availed only Rs 202 crore and Rs 500 crore is still available at bank, the Chief Minister stated.
In order to create awareness and popularise the products made in Manipur outside the State, it is crucial to hold buyer-seller meets by inviting buyers from outside the State, he said.
It is also equally important for loanees to work in close coordination with Government officials and bank staff.
Even though loanees have started developing a habit of paying back loans, there is still some inclination toward defaulting loans, Biren remarked.
Claiming that the Government has started economic revival activities at grassroots level, the Chief Minister further stressed on the importance of thrift.
“No man is perfect. We too may have many drawbacks or loopholes but we are working with suggestions and advice from the public. The crisis besieging the State is quite painful but now normalcy is returning, thanks to the collective efforts of all”, the Chief Minister stated.
He then appealed to all the people of both the valley and the hills to work more toward restoration of complete normalcy in the State.
The core issues can be talked over politically/diplomatically. Violence will not bring anything positive, Biren said.
Works Minister Govindas Konthoujam, Power Minister Thongam Biswajit, Veterinary Minister Khashim Vashum, CAF&PD Minister L Susindro, Social Welfare Minister Heikham Dingo and many MLAs too attended the workshop as presidium members which was presided by Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh.