For One and All
Manipur has shown impressive progress in improving the quality of life of its weakest citizens
Though there are claims of millions of houses being constructed across the country under the Union government’s flagship housing scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, only seven states have submitted their data for a social audit as of August. Manipur is one of those states—perhaps having a former journalist as chief minister has provided a fillip to transparency in governance.
The state government has targeted approvals for 46,360 beneficiaries for the construction of houses in 27 towns across the state. Currently, 26,348 beneficiaries in 24 towns have been approved by the Union ministry for Housing and Urban Affairs, with an estimated 9,725 houses likely to be constructed by the end of the year. “Because of the terrain, we face a lot of difficulty in terms of speed and reach, but we are committed to achieving the goal set by this game-changing scheme launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” says Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh.
With the aim of improving the quality of life of its citizens and bringing about rapid development by 2030, the chief minister recently published the ‘Manipur Vision Document 2030’, incorporating 17 sustainable development goals. As per NITI Aayog’s SDG India Index, published last year, Manipur ranked sixth of India’s 29 states, with a composite score of 59 (the all-India average score was 54).
As Manipur’s geography is divided between hills and plains areas, the state government has also proposed a topographical, need-based budget to bring about inclusive development. “Responding to this suggestion, the Union government introduced the Hill Area Development Fund for states like Manipur,” says Singh.
The state has also showed impressive progress in the implementation of government welfare schemes. For instance, Manipur ranks fourth among India’s states when it comes to people who have benefitted under MGNREGA—200 of every 1,000 households were provided employment under MGNREGA. A total of 101,919 LPG connections have also been distributed under the Pradhan Mantri
Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY). Under the scheme, LPG connections were given to women from economically weaker sections at highly subsidised rates— this has now been expanded to include women from other socio-economic categories. The state government had identified 573 villages for widespread LPG gas connections under the expanded PMUY. By 2020, the goal is to cover 194,282 households, to develop ‘smokeless villages’ across the state, which, it is hoped, would also help to address the issue of deforestation. ■