New Delhi, August 07 2009: Dr Thokchom Meinya, MP from Inner Manipur on Thursday drew the attention of the Centre that the Planning Commission should consider the proposed Plan size of Manipur on of the special category states which was badly affected by insurgent activities.

Raising at the Zero Hour of the Lok Sabha session on Thursday, Dr.Meinya said that every year annual Plan size of different States of the country were fixed in Plan meetings and different yardsticks were applied for different States depending on various parameters more particularly for the special category States of Jammu and Kashmir and the States of the North Eastern Region.

These States did not have enough revenue collection to run their Governments.

So, they depended on the grants that were released from the Union Government.

He informed the House that the recently held Plan meeting on the 4th of August was not so very cordial atmosphere that the Planning Commission refused the proposed Plan size of Manipur.

The Commission proposed to provide only 10 per cent increase when the State had demanded 20 per cent increase from the previous Plan size whereas other States of the North-Eastern region were given 30 to 35 per cent increase over the previous year's Plan Size.

Dr Meinya underlined, "I would like to ask as to why is this discrimination being made.

The meeting totally lost its desired cordiality.

But it is, however, learnt that a 20 per cent increase over the previous year's Plan size has not been agreed upon.

This type of bargaining does not speak well for the polity.

No order to this effect has been issued yet".

He drew the attention of the Government of India that the Planning Commission should consider the request of these special category States, particularly my State Manipur which had been very badly affected by insurgent activities.

These States should be given more humane consideration so that the developmental works of the States were implemented successfully and on time.

This would go a long way towards solving the many critical problems and issues being faced by these problem-ridden special category States like Manipur.

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