Imphal:
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Saturday requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take action for stopping racial slur and harassment that the people of the Northeastern region are facing in different parts of the country amid the coronavirus crisis.
During a video conference, Mr Singh urged the PM to direct the states to do the needful to stop harassment of Northeast people.
He appealed to other chief ministers to take care of the 30,000 Manipuri people who are stranded outside the state because of the lockdown.
A list of stranded Manipuris with addresses where they are putting up is being forwarded to the states concerned, he said.
He also pleaded the prime minister to make arrangements for bringing all the stranded people of Manipur to their home.
The chief minister said his government is also looking after the requirements of people of other states stuck in Manipur.
Regarding the state's preparedness to contain the spread of COVID-19, Mr Singh said 3,200 beds have been kept ready for quarantine, while one dedicated block of 50 beds in two hospitals each is earmarked for COVID-19 patients.
More ventilators have been installed in both the hospitals of the state that so far reported one positive coronavirus case, he said.
To increase the number of testing facilities, Mr Singh said, permission is being sought from the Indian Council of Medical Research to allow testing for Covid-19 in some select private diagnostic centres. Manipur shares 398 km long porous border with Myanmar, the CM said adding that the state government has erected temporary fencing along the border to block illegal entry of foreigners.
