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Our Correspondent
Imphal, April 21 (EMN): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and MP Lorho S Pfoze of Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency distributed medical items to be used by the frontline health workers in dealing with Covid-19 outbreak to the Chief Medical Officers (CMO) of different districts of the state under the Local Area Development Fund (LADF) at the chief minister’s secretariat in Imphal on Tuesday.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh along with Health and Family Welfare Minister L Jayantakumar, CAF & PD Minister Karam Shyam, PHE Minister L Dikho, MLAs Shri Awangbow Newmai and Th Satyabrata, MP Lorho S Pfoze and Tamenglong Autonomous District Council Chairman Namsinrei Panmei also attended the function.
In all, 85 thermal scanners, 930 Personnel Protective Equipments (PPE), 510 N95 masks, 26,000 three-layer masks, 25,500 gloves, 85 oximeters, 8500 surgical caps and 85 sanitisers were distributed to the CMOs.
One BiPAP ventilator each was also handed over to the CMOs of Senapati, Ukhrul, Chandel, Tamenglong, Tengnoupal and Jiribam and the Medical Officer of Mao PHC. All these medical equipments were procured with the funds from LADF of MP Lorho, according to a DIPR report.
Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Biren Singh said that the state needs to maintain extra vigil in its border areas to check incoming of infected persons. Stating that the state must never take it easy with the notion that it has zero positive case now, he said the cabinet had also discussed to open grocery kiosks in selected border areas to stop crossing of border by people to purchase essential items.
Stating that Mao, Behiang and border areas of Kamjong and Tengnoupal districts are so vulnerable, Singh said that he had directed DGP Manipur to reinforce with more police force in Churachandpur district to increase the number of check posts.
He also thanked MP Pfoze for distributing essential medical items to different districts with the funds from his LADF. In his speech, MP Lorho said that 13 out of total 19 districts of the state partially or fully come under the Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency. As such, he had decided to provide Covid-19 preventive medical items to all the districts.
Prisoners released
In compliance of the Supreme Court’s directive, 69 prisoners have been released from jails in Manipur on interim bail/parole for three months, according to an official statement of Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa.
The released prisoners include 64 from Sajiwa jail in the outskirt of Imphal and five from Central jail in Imphal including one convict, said the statement of Superintendent S Touthang of Manipur Central Jail, Sajiwa which was made available to media recently.
The prisoners were released following the recommendation of the high powered committee formed in connection with Covid-19, it said.
The high powered committee was constituted by the state government to decongest the prisons in view of the outbreak of Covid-19.
Justice Kh Nobin Singh was the chairman of the high powered committee while the state Chief Secretary Dr. J Suresh Babu and Additional Director General of Police (Prison) P Doungel are its members.
The released prisoners have been transported / dropped to their respective residences by the concerned district police in view of the present lockdown/curfew in the state, the statement added.