Our Correspondent
Imphal, April 19 (EMN): Chief Minister N Biren Singh interacted with around 50 students, two teachers and a few village chiefs from Joupi area in Chandel district at the Durbar Hall of Chief Minister’s Secretariat on April 19.
The team were on a tour to the state capital under the initiative of Col. Sachin Jain, Commandant of 29 Assam Rifles, whose Unit is currently deployed at the interior Indo-Myanmar border.
The chief minister encouraged the team to work hard for the cause of the state and the country. He also advised the students to stay away from drugs and other intoxicants. N. Biren Singh assured the students to put in maximum efforts to address their educational and developmental needs.
Expressing joy on hearing that the villagers had agreed to cultivate lemongrass instead of poppy at around 250 hectares of land at Joupi area on the insistence of Assam Rifles, he thanked the paramilitary force for taking up such a commendable job.
Informing that the new state government had initiated a campaign known as ‘War on Drugs’ wherein drugs and intoxicants are being seized in huge quantity and large areas of poppy plantations destroyed, the chief minister said that the alternative livelihoods like Mithun rearing, plantation of Agar and lemongrass etc. would be arranged for the poppy growers.
Stating that his government’s ‘Go to Hill’ mission is underway, and another campaign known as ‘Go to Village’ is set to kick start from May 1 to reach out to the villagers of far-flung areas, N. Biren Singh expressed pleasure on interacting with a group of young students, teachers and village chiefs from interior Joupi area under the initiative of Assam Rifles.
The chief minister stressed on the need to properly utilise the funds that comes under Border Area Development Programme (BADP) to uplift the people of border areas. He also informed that 80 per cent of PMGSY funds are being utilised in hill districts.
