The Union government told Parliament that no specific assessment has been done so far to examine the extent of damage caused to MSME enterprises in Manipur. File | Photo Credit: PTI
The Union government on Thursday (December 12, 2024) told Parliament that no specific assessment has been done so far to examine the extent of damage caused to micro, small and medium enterprises in Manipur as a result of the ethnic conflict in the State, which has been going on for over 18 months now.
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The Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) tabled a statement in the Lok Sabha on Thursday (December 12) in response to A. Bimol Akoijam, the Congress MP for Inner Manipur, who had raised questions about the impact of the conflict on MSMEs, and on the livelihoods of people in the State. He also asked whether the Government of India had planned any special relief package to address such concerns.
In reply, Minister of State for MSMEs Shobha Karandlaje said, “To assess the impact of ongoing issues in the State of Manipur, no specific assessment has been conducted, so far, for the MSME Sector of Manipur.” The government data provided in this reply showed that as of December 10 this year, there were over 1.22 lakh MSMEs in Manipur registered on the Udyam Registration Portal and Udyam Assist Platform.
Ms. Karandlaje noted that the Union government has taken up a number of initiatives for the overall ”promotion and development” of MSMEs across the country, with special concessions for MSMEs in the north-eastern region of the country, listing them in her statement.
Impact on farmers
Mr. Akoijam has been asking the Centre for detailed responses in Parliament on various aspects of the impact of the conflict in Manipur on livelihoods and the economy of the State.
On December 10, the Congress MP had posed a similar question to the Union Agriculture Ministry, asking for details of the impact of the conflict on the State’s farmers and the measures taken by the government to address them.
In response, the Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said that so far, ₹31.67 crore has been released to the State for compensation to farmers affected by the conflict. This is part of the ₹38.6 crore allotted for this purpose as part of a special package of ₹209.45 crore sanctioned by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in August 2023 for ”running schemes of Relief and Rehabilitation for victims/ persons affected by ongoing law and order crisis”.
Published – December 12, 2024 10:09 pm IST
