IMPHAL, May 18: The BJP led NDA government at the Centre has decided that all development sanctions under the 14th Finance Commission, will be made directly to panchayats and municipal councils and not through the State, Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram said today.
He was addressing an election campaign for BJP candidates of Chandel ADC at the Senapati district Head Quarter Public Ground.
Oram said he was in the district to appeal to the people of Senapati to elect the BJP candidates.
He said the party`™s elected members can directly approach the Prime Minister for development funds.
If the BJP candidates win the ADC election, Oram said he will directly apprise the Central government of the people`™s grievances.
The government will provide more funds for the development of tribals if the BJP candidates are elected in the ADC, however, electing the Congress candidates will mean that we cannot help much to improve the condition of Manipur, he observed.
`On my reaching Senapati, people have made demands for funds for development of the tribals`, he observed.
However, even if the Centre releases funds, who can take full responsibility that the funds will reach the people, he demanded.
BJP is for the poor and needy people, he said elaborating that the party`™s leaders have themselves experience poverty.
And the tribals`™ desire to see that funds meant for them are properly utilised can be achieved only if the BJP wins the election, he continued.
On the other hand, leaders of the Congress party come from rich families and as such have no consideration for the people belonging to the schedule tribes, schedule caste and other minority groups, he asserted.
Under the Congress government, the welfare of ST, SC and OBCs were club together with that of Animal Welfare under one ministry- Ministry of Social Justice, he claimed.
It was the NDA government under Atal Bihari Vajpayee that set up a separate Tribal Affairs Ministry, he asserted.
The Congress has never treated the downtrodden as equals, he continued.
The National Commission for Schedule Tribes had only three members but it was increased to five when Tapir Gao was the secretary, he said.
He said huge funds are sanctioned through the National Commission for Schedule Tribes which are misused by the State government.
Oram said, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has opened the nationalised banks for all citizens of India through the Jan Dhan Yojna, he said.
The party`™s State president Th Chaoba said lotus of the BJP has begun to bloom in the hills today.
There was time when no one from the minority groups would enroll for the party, but now more than a lakh has enrolled themselves with the party during its online membership drive in the State, Chaoba claimed.
In the past no one wanted BJP tickets to contest the ADC election, but now the party received 340 applications for the 144 seats available, he said.
BJP, Manipur Pradesh general secretart (media) laimayum Basanta Sharma alleged that the Centre had sanctioned Rs 1118 crore for the tribals of the State, however, the State government is yet to provide the utilization certificates of the funds.
Today`™s meeting was also attended by BJP National general secretary Tapir Gao, and other party leaders from the State including Dr Borababu, M Bhorot, Mahila president Pramodini, general secretary Mahila, state secretary of BJP.