IMPHAL, Dec 24: In order to expedite financial assistance’s to the deserving children of Manipur effected by the terrorist/extremist violence, the Dy. Commissioner Imphal east district M. Lakshmikumar Singh and its official distributed Rs. 9000 each to six case children for the year 2010 under the project ‘Assist’ taken up by the National Foundation for Communal Harmony Trust under Ministry of Home Affair government of India, today.
While speaking to media persons during the distribution of financial assistance’s to the child victims of terrorist violence in Manipur he said so far at least 20 children has been recognized by the concern authority of the district, however it is hope that the concern authorities will be able to identify more such children and has further requested the concern families to visit and claim assistance from the concern authorities for their children which is under taken by the Foundation under Ministry of Home Affairs, government of India.
He further said that the present allowance given today to each child victim is Rs. 9000 for the year 2010, and the foundation has been providing the assistance for many years with the main objective of providing a better life for the children affected by the terrorist/extremist violence in the state. The concern authority was supposed to provide the scholarship/ monetary assistance to the child victims on a monthly basis of Rs 750, however the concern authority of the state providing the total yearly amount of Rs 9000 each today.
The DC also mentioned that the concern Foundation officials had visited the state recently to convene a meeting at the state home department office and discussed to increased the monetary assistance from the current Rs 750 to Rs 1000 monthly totaling to Rs 1200 in a year. However the discussion is still underway and the officials are hoping to bring the increment in the monetary assistance at the earliest possible in the interest of the child victims in the state.
In the meantime a report send by the assistance secretary of the National Foundation for Communal Harmony, working under Ministry of Home Affair Government of India, said child victims of communal, caste, ethnic and terrorist in the country are being helped by this foundation since 1992 under its scheme of assistance project under the scheme, the children who are rendered destitute or orphan in such kind of social violence on or after July 24, 1991, and whose families are below poverty line, are being provided assistance by the foundation to meet expenditure towards their education and care including cost of their textbooks, stationary, food, clothing, healthcare and recreations etc. till the child attains age of 18 yrs. In exceptional cases Manipur is further extended upto 21 years and further added the assistance is available to all eligible children in the family without any restriction on their number.
Report further mention that till 31 March 2010, the foundation has been extended help to 10,431 children under the project called ‘Assist’ in 20 state/union territories in nearly 140 districts of the country and further the foundation is specifically concerned about the coverage of destitute children affected by terrorist or similar kind of extremist violence in the Northeast region. And so the project is now in operation in the state Manipur Assam and Nagaland, as on 31 August 2010 there are as many as 1853 children covered under these schemes in the state of Manipur. A total of 409 children have been rendered out of schemes and 144 are still on live register. And it is seen that assistance in repect of 647 children is updated (since their assistance is provided up to December 31, 2010), but remaining children are still awaiting assistance whose payment have been held up.
Report further mentioned that the foundation is largely dependent on the state government particularly the district administrations to process and complete the procedural formalities. And also mentioned that the district administration at many place do not recommend the cases particularly for renewal of assistance in terms of the guideline. Because of non-receipt of recommendation/document etc of the children in conformity of the guidelines, the foundation is unable to release assistance in these cases added.
And also said for the pending cases the foundation has been taken up the matter with the state government at different levels including the Chief Minister, chief secretary and District magistrate/ DC. It is in this context that the Union Ministry of Home Affair is seriously concerned about the pending cases in Manipur inter-alia desirous of covering more and more number of such deserving children in the ambit of this scheme.
