Imphal, November 04: It is no doubt an interesting topic,� Which of the two is the bigger issue in the minds of listeners-HIV/AIDS or Corruption ?� And the opinion poll conducted by the Regional News Unit of the All India Radio, Imphal has given the mandate that corruption is no doubt the bigger issue of the two.

Launched on October 2 this year, the listeners were given 18 days time to send in their opinions and as many as 750 opinions were received through post, e-mail and hand post, said a statement issued by AIR, Imphal today.

The opinions were received from a cross section of society ranging from top bureaucrats to social workers, from teachers to students, from doctors to pharmacists, from former MPs to Gram Panchayat members, from editors to press compositors, from retired IAS officers to the common man on the street, from high ranking security and police officers to house wives.

The opinions were received from across all the districts of Manipur, with Tamenglong emerging the biggest respondent with 81 polls.

Opinions were also received from North Eastern States like Nagaland, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Assam.

Out of every six opinions received, five voted corruption as the bigger issue confronting the State with only one opting for HIV/AIDS.

The respondents gave a number of reasons for placing corruption on a higher index than HIV/AIDS.

Detailing, the statement said that the highest number of respondents (20 percent) view corruption as being against any positive developments.

Fourteen percent of the respondents said that corruption is prospectively incurable as both the Government mechanisms and NGOs are ineffective.

Coming a close third, 13 percent of the opinions polled said that corruption blunts honesty and blurs transparency while another 12 percent were of the view that corruption destroys social fabric while another 12 percent said that corruption frustrates development.

The remaining 29 percent had different view points over corruption with some saying that corruption is a sin or an intrinsic human default, comparable to nuclear fission, renders all laws ineffective and prevents individuals from positive action.

In Tamenglong where 81 opinions were polled, 65 were of the view that corruption is the major issue in the district.

The few who viewed HIV/AIDS as the bigger issue also gave a number of reasons for their stand.

Thirty six percent of those who voted for HIV/AIDS said that while AIDS kills, corruption does not.

Nineteen percent said that HIV/AIDS poses a threat to the future generation, while another 19 percent felt that HIV/AIDS is a world wide epidemic but corruption is endemic only in some areas.

Thirteen percent said that till date HIV/AIDS is incurable while another 10 percent said that HIV/AIDS is more than an epidemic as the infected person is socially ostracised and stigmatised.

03 percent were of the opinion that HIV/AIDS is inherent in a drug infested border area like Manipur.

On a positive note, the statement said that the polls showed that the people of Manipur are fully aware of the impact of both HIV/AIDS and corruption on society.

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