Ukhrul along with the rest of the country celebrated the 80th Independence Day at Bakshi Ground, Ukhrul. Deputy Commissioner of Ukhrul, Uppuluri Chaitanya (IAS) hoisted the national flag accompanied by rashtriya salute and inspected the contingents.
Superintendent of Police, Abhinav (IPS) gave the general salute. The SDPO of Ukhrul, Wungkhaning WS was the parade commander.
On the occasion, the Deputy Commissioner extended warm greetings to the gathering. Uppuluri Chaitanya in his address stated “my heartiest greetings to all the citizens of Ukhrul District, on the occasion of the 80th Independence Day. This day holds profound significance in the hearts of every Indian, as it marks the day of freedom from the 100 years of colonial rule.
“Today, as we stand under this free sky, it is easy to take for granted the ease with which we go about our lives – the right to speak, to choose, to dream without fear. But freedom was never free. It was earned, inch by inch, through decades of sacrifice, courage, and unshakeable resolve.
“Independence was not handed to us on a platter. It was forged in the fires of struggle – by countless sacrifices made by our ancestors across the length and breadth of our country so that the future generations could inherit a nation of their own. It was not the effort of a few, but the collective will of an entire people who refused to accept subjugation as their destiny.
“Every drop of sweat in the fields, every voice raised in protest, every quiet act of defiance against injustice all of it wove together into the tapestry of freedom we now call our own.
“On this auspicious day, it is befitting that we take a moment to reflect on the remarkable progress that Ukhrul District has made in the last few months.
“Covering all the blocks and villages the department of MSRLM was instrumental in empowerment and financial inclusion of women by forming 844 self-help groups comprising 9,287 members, of which 814 SHGs hold bank accounts and the efforts are underway to cover the remaining. The department is instrumental in ensuring financial security and social security to these SHGs by enabling access to financial resources and social security schemes like Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima yojana and Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima.
“The department has also taken livelihood training and women’s economic leadership training under Lakhpati Didi Initiative.
“Further under One Stop Centre (OSC), also known as a Sakhi Centre, with the objective to provide integrated support and assistance under one roof to women affected by violence or in distress conducted around 130 advocacy campaigns and programmes on women’s and girls’ rights in convergence with various stakeholder departments along with advocacy material printed in 5 different languages including Tangkhul language.
“So far it has handled 148 cases since its inception and with only 2 pending cases the One Stop Centre has shown its strong commitment and timely intervention towards women empowerment.
“Despite multiple interruptions in the supply of essential commodities due to law-and-order issues and road blockades, the Department of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution had put efforts to Ensure uninterrupted, timely distribution of free food grains to all eligible beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) without any lapse.
“It has Completed e-KYC authentication for over 60% of eligible beneficiaries district-wide, with the remaining cases being covered on priority to ensure transparency.
“Further the department of Horticulture and Soil Conservation under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH): around 400 farmers have benefited through various activities which include distribution of vegetable seeds and fruit saplings construction of polyhouses, water-harvesting ponds, distribution of bee boxes and organic manures to the beneficiaries.
“Under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) the department has installed micro-irrigation systems at various farms indicating a transitioning towards sustainable model for efficient and effective farming outcomes.
“The District Industries Centre continues to drive growth of Micro, small and medium enterprises and self-employment across the district through schemes like PMEGP (Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme), PM Vishwakarma scheme and business incubator programme achieving more than 100% target and skilling them across multiple trades.
“The Forest Department has taken up various initiatives for promoting afforestation, soil conservation and other related activities. Under the Van Mahotsav week it has made a remarkable achievement by planting the largest number of seedlings among all the districts in the state.
“It is also worth mentioning the efforts taken up by PWD & PHED in a timely response to emergency situations due to incessant rains which the district has witnessed in the past few weeks. Proposals are being taken up for bailey bridges, retaining walls, inter village roads to avoid further disasters at disaster prone zones.
“To cater to the grievances of the public the government has organised Jan Kalyan Shivir campaign at the block level for three days during the month of June though which grievances of around 800 out of 900 applicants have been redressed on the same day.
“Further, I would like to mention a few schemes taken up by the government of India to promote and develop rural areas:
Firstly, Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan, keeping in mind the difficulties faced by the tribal population the government with an aim to saturate and converge the existing social welfare schemes has initiated this major developmental programme, to develop tribal-majority villages. With an outlay of 79,156 crores, it targets 63,843 villages across 30 states and union territories to improve health, education, and livelihoods for over 5 crore people. Under this scheme priority has been given to 52 villages of Ukhrul district ensuring saturation of 17 government schemes in coordination with all the concerned line departments.
“Multiple rounds of awareness program, registration campaign and grievance redressals were conducted to ensure the benefits reach to all the eligible beneficiaries and accordingly more than 10000 households from the district have been benefiting under the scheme.
Secondly, with the aim to intensify rural livelihood and employment generation the government has renewed the existing M-G-N-R-E-G-S into Viksit Bharat guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika mission -Grameen providing legal right to 125 days of guaranteed unskilled manual wage employment on demand. The scheme also enhances the daily wages and includes provisions for compensation due to delayed payments, unemployment allowance, agricultural season and with increased list of permissible works that can be taken under the scheme with the intent to create more sustainable rural assets.
“And finally, to develop the border villages and to change the narrative of being last village of India to first village of India, the government of India has initiated Vibrant Village Lrogramme- Phase 2, a 100% centrally funded scheme with an outlay of rupees 6,839 crores to ensure the border villages remain vibrant by saturating infrastructure, promote livelihood and value chains and by community engagement.
“To summarise, the achievements of all the departments mentioned so far reiterate the commitment of the district administration towards citizen centric governance and development of the society, further the schemes mentioned highlights the developmental opportunities for the public at their disposal. So, I urge the citizens of Ukhrul district to fully utilize the services and schemes provided through various government departments of the district.
“Dear people, as we mark this 80th year of independence, let us remember that freedom is not a one-time achievement but a continuing responsibility. The same spirit of sacrifice and hard work that won us this nation must now guide us in building it through education, through service, and through the quiet, steady efforts each of us contributes to our communities and our country.
“With the huge platter of wisdom from our elders in front of us, I urge the energetic youth and the newer generations of the Ukhrul to take the responsibility of developing our society and the country not just for ourselves but for the future generations to witness the true potential of Viksit Bharat by 2047.
“In closing, I urge each of us to reflect on our role in this journey. Let us stand united in our resolve to create a better future for ourselves and generations to come. Together, we can overcome any obstacle and continue to build a stronger, more inclusive Manipur and India.”
Prizes and certificate of appreciation were distributed by the dignitaries during the programme. ADC/ADM of Ukhrul, Polly Makan led the pledge for a drug free Ukhrul , for a better tomorrow under Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan.
