Imphal, July 18: Immediate action plan to tackle the diminishing primary agricultural area in the State will be taken up soon by the Government. In this regard an Act to protect the cultivable land will soon be instituted. The matter was minutely discussed in the Cabinet meeting which was held today with the Chief Minister in the chair at the conference hall of the CM secretariat at four in the evening.
M Okendra, spokesperson of the State Government, who is also the Minister of Education, CAF & PD briefing the media said the cabinet has agreed to table the Draft Manipur Conservation of Paddy land Bill, 2014 in the ongoing Assembly Session.
He said the Government takes serious note of the diminishing areas of cultivable lands and the low productivity of food grains in the State. In order to save the cultivable lands, the Government is determined to institute a Law. Therefore, the cabinet has decided to pave way for the Draft to be discussed in the ongoing Session, he said.
Okendro said the Cabinet has decided to amend the Manipur Working Journalist Pension Rules, 1996.
The amendment will benefit those retired journalist who are over 60 years. Their monthly pension will be increased from Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 and family pension will also be increased from Rs 1000 to 2000, he said.
Therefore, in this regard the State Government has decided to earmark Rs 2 lakhs as Annual Grant from the current financial year. The Grant money will be increased to Rs 5 lakhs after five years, that is from the financial year of 2019 – 20, Okendro maintained. It may be mentioned that the Pension Rules was last amended in the year 2007.
Okendro further said that the Kambirol sub-station of the Jiribam – Tupul railway line will be named after freedom fighter, Haipou Jadonang. The sub-station will be named as Haipou Jadodang sub-station. Also known as Puiluan, Kambiron village is inhabited by around 75,000 vilagers, which is the birthplace of Jadonang.
The naming of the sub-station will honour the late freedom fighter, and this is to materialise the village authority’s long time demand to the railway authorities, said Okendro.
Further, the Cabinet meeting also decided to identify three probable sites for the Manipur national sports university. The selected sites will soon be conveyed to the Central Government said M Okendro to the media.