| Finance Commission panel ends Imphal visit | ||
Imphal, Jan 24 : The Finance Commission team today left Imphal without any assurance that it would bail out Manipur if the state decided to implement the recommendations of the sixth Pay Commission. Chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh and nearly 60,000 government employees had hoped that the commission would assure them about the pay commission’s recommendations. “The state government made a point about assistance to implement the pay commission’s recommendations. We will look into Manipur’s case. The state may also do something on its own,” the chairman of the team, Vijay L. Kelkar, told mediapersons before leaving Imphal today. The team arrived on January 21 assess the progress of the ongoing development projects. It will submit its recommendations to the Centre by October for finalising non-Plan funds to the states for the next five financial years. The team met the Ibobi Singh council of ministers and government officials at Imphal Raj Bhavan yesterday. During the meeting, Ibobi Singh presented development activities taken up by his government and requested the team to make generous recommendations, taking into consideration the “peculiar and topographical profile” of the state. Kelkar said considering the unprecedented world economic crisis, there was a need for “collective response” to rise above these challenges. The government employees in the state have been on a ceasework since November 27 and they were holding daily sit-ins at different places. Ibobi Singh told the employees that he would request the commission to assist the state government. During their stay, the team visited Singda Dam, Kangla Fort, Khuman Lampak sports complex, Imphal Keithel (where three women’s markets are being constructed), Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital, a school and a primary health centre. |
