IMPHAL, August 21: Home minister Gaikhangam conveyed that the State government is taking up all possible measures to safeguard and address the prevalent situation faced by Manipuri students.
The minister stated to reporters during the sidelines of a website release function of the Tribal Research Institute held at his office located at Babupara this afternoon.
He further said that senior officers of the State Home department have been deputed at Bangalore, Pune and Assam to take stock of the situation and to aid the students if necessary. Stating that such an issue is sensitive, he also appealed the state media to exercise restraint in reporting incidents which if unchecked may promulgate a sense of panic to the masses.
“Some miscreants are also arrested for spreading false rumors, the government is doing its best to contain the situation holistically “, he said.
The minister was joined by MLAs, MK Preshow, Victor Keishing , Yamthong Haokip, V Valtae, DK Korungthang , Z Kikonbou Newmai and officials inclusive of A Luikham, additional chief secretary (Tribal Affairs and Hills), Z Solomon, joint director of TRI among others.
The formal release of a souvenir of the Tribal Research Institute (TRI) and its website www.trimanipur.com was launched by Gaikhangam.
In his speech, Gaikgangam pointed that the initiative of setting up a tribal research institute in for preserving the culture and tradition of the multiple tribes inhabiting the State. Mentioning that there is a gap in traditional sensibilities among the younger generations, he said that the Institute and website is pivotal in educating the youths of the rich legacy of the tribals.
“We should not be refugees in our own state, the present turmoil is just a family feud and time will solve it, the more serious concern is to safeguard our society from the economic onslaught which will occur in future”, he added.
“We must be prepared and should be self reliant, safeguarding our culture first from the globalizing trend comes first and institutes such as TRI must be developed”, he said .
The minister said that the fund allocation of Rs 1 crore for the TRI is meager but allocated as there is a fund crunch in the government finances, he however assured to urge the concerned for upgrading the fund allocation.
The TRI website was developed by Cube Ten technologists, Babupara , a premier software development company of the State.