The visit of the Prime Minister to poll-bound Manipur will further step up the political activities before the elections.
New Delhi: Ahead of the upcoming Manipur Assembly Elections 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the north-eastern state on Tuesday to inaugurate 13 projects and lay foundation stones of as many as 22 development projects worth Rs 4,800 crore in Imphal. Of these, a total of 13 projects worth nearly Rs 1,850 crore will be inaugurated while a foundation stone of nine more key development projects worth around Rs 2,950 crore will also be laid. The Prime Minister will also virtually kick-start the campaign for the Assembly elections in Manipur.
During his visit to Imphal, PM Modi will first address a public gathering at the palace compound in Imphal East district and then inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for 22 projects worth over Rs 4,800 crore. According to an official statement, the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone for national highways with a project cost of more than Rs 1,700 crore in Manipur in line with the PM’s vision to improve connectivity in all parts of the country. More than 2,350 mobile towers built at a cost of around Rs 1,100 crore will be dedicated to the public by the Prime Minister to further improve mobile connectivity in the region.
In Manipur, Modi will also lay the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art cancer hospital and inaugurate a newly-built 200-bed Covid hospital. The PM will also lay the foundation for the Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training to boost employment opportunities. He will also lay the foundation for the Manipur Institute of Performing Arts, the idea for which was first mooted in 1990 but could not materialise for many years.
For the smooth passage of the Prime Minister’s convoy, heavy security arrangements have been put in place and general traffic restrictions have been imposed on several important highways. BJP leaders and other functionaries, including Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh are personally supervising all the arrangements for the Prime Minister’s day-long tour.
Meanwhile, insurgent outfits have registered their protest against Modi’s visit to the state. CorCom, an umbrella body of several militant organisations, said in a release that a state-wide shut down will come into effect from 1 am of Tuesday and continue till PM’s departure. The group claimed that attempts were being made to “expand colonial administration” in Manipur. Another outfit, National Revolutionary Front, Manipur (NRFM), said that there was no reason to celebrate the visit of the prime minister to Manipur.
The visit of the Prime Minister to poll-bound Manipur will further step up the political activities before the elections. Elections to the 60-seat Manipur Assembly are likely to be held in February-March along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand and Goa. From Imphal, the Prime Minister will go to Agartala where he will inaugurate the new integrated terminal building of Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport, built at a cost of about Rs 450 crore. He will also launch two important schemes in Tripura — Mukhyamantri Tripura Gram Samriddhi Yojana and Project Mission 100 of Vidyajyoti Schools.
