Tamil Nadu: Stalin writes to Biren Singh, offers ₹10-cr aid to Manipur
Tamil Nadu chief minister, M K Stalin, on Tuesday requested Biren Singh, his counterpart in Manipur, to accept humanitarian aid from Tamil Nadu worth ₹10-crores for the people living in the relief camps and also offered airlifting services.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Tuesday requested his Manipur counterpart N Biren Singh to accept humanitarian aid from Tamil Nadu worth ₹10 crore for the people living in the relief camps in the ethnic strife-torn northeastern state and also offered airlifting services.
“I am informed that more than 50,000 people are staying in relief camps due to the prevailing situation and there is an increasing need for some essential items for the affected people,” said Stalin in his letter to Singh. “At this crucial time, the Government of Tamil Nadu is willing to extend support to your State by providing necessary relief materials,” he said such as Tarpaulin sheets, Bed-sheets, Mosquito Nets, Essential Medicines, Sanitary Napkins, and Milk Powder worth around ₹10 crores. “These materials will be very useful to the people staying in camps and they can also be airlifted, if required.”
Stalin also thanked Singh for the support extended to Tamils in Manipur and requested continued protection for their lives and property.
“I would request you to kindly give your Government’s concurrence for this humanitarian aid,” Stalin said. “Also, kindly inform us about the further action to be taken in this regard, so that my officers can coordinate with your officers and send the relief materials at the earliest.”
When many as 3000 Meitis were initially evacuated and brought to the camp, the Tamil community provided most of the food and relief materials, locals in Manipur’s Moreh have said. It would have been extremely difficult to run the camp without help from the Tamils because the Army did not have adequate food and supplies in stock, a senior Assam Rifles officer said at Moreh in May.
Among the buildings that remained untouched on May 3 during the ethnic clashes were five churches, two mosques, a gurdwara and a temple set up by the Tamil community in Moreh. It borders Myanmar and used to be cited as a typical example of ‘unity in diversity’, said experts.
“Tamils, Bengalis, Sikhs, Odiyas, Meitis and the Kuki tribal people are among the 11-odd communities that have lived in Moreh for decades. Everything changed overnight,” N Pulindro Singh, 65, one of the senior members of Moreh’s Meiti community told HT at a relief camp on May 10.
The Tamils arrived from south India around a century ago and settled down in Moreh as traders. Many Tamils and Bengalis settled down in Myanmar (then called Burma) as well during the British rule, Singh added.
