Imphal: House of the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly 5th Session unanimously passed six crucial bills during its fourth sitting on Monday.
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The bills that were passed are:
The Manipur Names of Places Bill, 2024
Manipur Goods and Services tax (Sixth Amendment) Bill 2024
Manipur Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (Fifth Amendment) Bill 2024
Manipur Prevention of Malpractice in High School Leaving Certificate & Higher Secondary Examinations Bill 2024
Manipur Municipalities (11th Amendment) Bill 2024 and
The Manipur Labour Laws Bill 2024
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Chief Minister N Biren Singh has asserted that The Manipur Names of Places Bill 2024 was passed after long and careful consideration in order to prevent unauthorised naming of land in Manipur.
The Bill prepared by the Land Resources department (formerly Revenue department) was earlier approved by the state cabinet. It was introduced in the house on the first day of the ongoing session on February 28.
The objective of the bill was to establish “an institutional mechanism to enforce correct use of names of places” as well as to “lay down procedures for giving names to places, and also for altering names of places”.
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Once enacted as Act, offenders will be punished with a penalty, and can receive one to three years of imprisonment upon conviction.
As per the bill, a ‘Place Names Committee’ will be created to make recommendations on the names, subject to the approval of the government.
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Certain administrative challenges are also faced due to such unauthorized use of names of places at the time of discharging their duties by government officials, it added.
Taking part in the discussion, opposition Congress member Th Lokeshwor observed that the bill would be a very useful one in future if enacted as Act in its true spirit.
He said that it is a matter of great concern as the unofficial name of a place was used in official matters. Stringent action must be taken up against those officials of the government found using unofficial names of a place, he added.
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Taking to his X handle, Chief Minister N Biren Singh wrote, “The Manipur Name of Places Bill, 2024 was unanimously passed during the 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly session today. The Manipur State Government is serious about protecting our history, cultural heritage and the legacy passed down by the ancestors and forefathers. We will not tolerate renaming and misusing names of places without consent and those guilty of the offence will be awarded with strict legal punishment.”
