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A cultural troupe performing at the 3rd Shirui Lily Festival which kicked off on October 16 at Shirui village in Ukhrul district. The festival will culminate on October 19. Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (i/c) Prahlad Singh Patel, who attended the first day of the festival called for a collective effort from all the stakeholders to explore ways to attract tourists to the State. (NNN Photo)
Newmai News Network
Ukhrul | October 16
The 3rd Shirui Lily Festival, 2019 kicked off on Wednesday attended by a number of dignitaries and a large number of people at Shirui village in Ukhrul district. The festival will culminate on October 19.
One special programme of this year’s Shirui Lily Festival is the participation of Scottish band Nazareth who will be performing during the festival.
Addressing the gathering on the occasion, Union Minister of State for Culture & Tourism (i/c) Prahlad Singh Patel said that there will be no tourism without culture. “A collective effort is needed from all the stakeholders to explore ways to attract tourists to the State”, he added.
Prahlad Singh Patel then said that the Northeast region is gifted with scenic beauty and rich cultural heritage which are one of the most important components of attracting tourists. Due to some wrong perception, the region is unable to attract the tourists and such perception needs to be broken, he added.
The Union Minister then stated that he had written a letter to the Union HRD Minister whether it is possible to make compulsory for the students of KVS and Navodaya Vidyalayas to visit the Northeast region atleast once. He mentioned that those who have witnessed the region at such age would always remember the region all through his/her lifetime.
Soon after his arrival at Shirui village, SPrahlad Singh Patel unveiled the 'Strength of Unity' pillar. During the function, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren and the Union Minister released a souvenir commemorating the glorious journey of 100 years of Ukhrul as an Administrative Sub-Division.
Speaking at the function, Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh said that in the last two and half years, Manipur is marching ahead and peace has been prevailed in the State with the love and blessings of the people. He maintained that we could organise such festival in a grand manner because there is peace in the State. Earlier tourists were reluctant to visit the hill areas of the State due to the unwanted law and order situation, he added.
The Chief Minister stated that the proud moment of any government comes when there is equal and inclusive development in the region. With such objective, since its inception, the present government was pressurizing the Centre for a 'topographical need based budget' to bring inclusive development in the State. Finally, the Centre implemented the Hill Areas Development Programme (HADP) for hilly states like Manipur. Among the 82 districts selected for the first phase, Manipur's Tamenglong district has been selected and would be getting 90 crores for the development of the district under the programme, he added. He mentioned that the Ministry of DoNER has assured that all the hill districts of the State would be covered under the scheme.
Mentioning that around Rs. 600 crores would be spent for improving road connectivity in Ukhrul district, the Chief Minister said that around Rs. 250 crores has been sanctioned for the construction of roads connecting Kamjong and Tengnoupal district. He maintained that TRIFED under Ministry of Tribal Affairs has also agreed for setting up of 75 Van Dhan Vikas Kendras in the State.
Biren then stated that the State Cabinet recently approved the ‘Stand Up Manipur’ scheme under the existing Start Up Manipur Scheme to provide subsidy and soft loans to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, OBC, Women and Minorities of the State for setting up business. He mentioned that entrepreneurs who have benefited from 'Start Up Manipur' has been able to double their annual income. He urged the educated youths and entrepreneurs to come forward and avail the benefits of various schemes.
The Chief Minister maintained that all the disputes will be settled through dialogue and negotiations. Stating that Manipur belongs to the people of the State, Chief Minister affirmed that the State government will not allow anything which can hurt the interest and sentiments of any community living in the State.
Praising the hospitality offered by the Tangkhul community of the State, he mentioned that more than 2000 homestays have been booked by the tourists to witness the festival. He thanked the Village Chiefs, leaders and people of the Ukhrul for taking Shirui festival to greater heights.
Later, the Chief Minister and Union Minister also inaugurated stalls and opened cultural programme presentations at Tangkhul Naga Long (TNL) ground at Ukhrul district headquarters as part of the four-day festival.
