Imphal, Nov 21 Amid the Kuki-Zo bodies' claims of deprivation and lack of development in tribal areas, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh on Thursday said that for the first time, five hill districts would have access to advanced medical facilities.
In a post on social media platform X, the Chief Minister said that for the first time, hill districts like Chandel, Ukhrul, Jiribam, Senapati, and Tamenglong would have access to advanced medical facilities bringing healthcare closer to home.
The advanced medical facilities include Computed Tomography (CT) scans, Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Intensive Care Unit (ICU) services, and super-specialty care.
"Not to mention, the Churachandpur Medical College is already operational, transforming healthcare in the region (tribal areas)," CM Singh said.
"This recent sanction of Rs 104.66 crore under PM-DevINE is a step towards equitable healthcare. Heartfelt gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda, and DoNER Minister J. M. Scindia for their relentless support for the development of Manipur," the Chief Minister said.
The Manipur Chief Minister earlier announced that the state government made equal efforts for the development of the valley and hill areas.
The Chief Minister's response comes after some tribal organisations, tribal leaders and MLAs have been accusing the state government of imbalanced allocation of funding of the Central Road Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
After the Chief Minister's announcement, the Chief Engineer of Manipur's Public Works Department Ningombam Subhash said that a higher amount of funds was sanctioned in the hilly areas than in the valley areas.
The Chief Engineer had said that between 2020-21 and 2024-25, Rs 2,395.51 crore was sanctioned for different road and bridge projects in the hill areas of the state while Rs 1,300.21 crore was sanctioned for the valley areas.
He added that Rs 1,374.81 crore and Rs 1,125.97 crore were sanctioned during the 2024-25 fiscal for the hilly and valley areas respectively, for various projects under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and North Eastern Council.
According to the Chief Engineer, Rs 8,541.97 crore and Rs 351.8 crore were sanctioned for the hilly and valley areas respectively, for various projects under National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd. between the 2020-21 and 2023-2024 financial years.
Senior tribal leader Paolienlal Haokip earlier claimed that 57 road projects worth around Rs 399.36 crore were recently sanctioned for the valley areas by the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
Terming the allocation of funds as "neglect of hill areas of the state," he said on X: "All 57 road building projects only for valley Manipur districts. This is why Union Territory with a Legislature for the hills is a necessity."
The non-tribal Meiteis account for around 53 per cent of Manipur's 3.2 million population and live mostly in the valley regions comprising six or seven districts while the tribal Nagas and Kukis constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts, which cover around 90 per cent of the geographical areas of Manipur.
The Valley region has a total of 40 non-tribal Meitei MLAs, while the hills have 19 MLAs divided between the Naga and the Kuki-Zo tribes and one seat reserved for the Scheduled Caste community.
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