After two years, the Manipur Sangai Festival is back with Union Minister for culture, tourism and development of north eastern region (DoNER) Gangapuram Kishan Reddy opening the 10-day-long tourism festival at its main venue at Sangai Ethnic Park at Moirang Khunou in Bishnupur district on Monday.

 

Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Leishemba Sanajaoba, ministers, MLAs, top officials of the state government were among others who attended the opening function of the tourism festival.

 

Addressing the opening function of the festival being held under the theme ‘Festival of Oneness’, G Kishan Reddy hoped that the hosting of the festival will boost tourism industry of the state.

 

The festival, one day, will become the country's biggest tourism event that attracts tourists from across the globe, Reddy said.

 

 

He highlighted various tourism attraction centres of the state like the floating Keibul Lamjao National Park -the home of the Sangai deer, Loktak Lake –the biggest fresh water lake in India, Ima Keithel - iconic all-women-run market, etc. and said that these places were unique places in the globe.

 

Indian citizens used to visit Switzerland, New Zealand, Australia, Africa, etc. However, now a day, country’s tourists need no more visiting these places.

 

“More beautiful places are in Manipur and the north-east region. Manipur, the pride of Northeast India, is ever-blooming as a tourist destination. I can say it proudly,” the Union minister said.

 

Reddy said that besides these unique places, Manipur has its rich cultural heritage while mentioning the famous Ras Lila, the classical dance of Manipur among others.

 

In his speech on the occasion, Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh said that the festival is being organized on the theme of “oneness” and it will not only bring unity among the different communities of Manipur but also strengthen the integrity of India.

 

Singh hoped that the Sangai Ethnic Park where the opening function of the festival is being held will create the sense of belongingness among the different ethnic communities living together in the state.

 

The ethnic park is being built to host the Sangai Festival which is an annual event and huts representing different tribal groups of the state would be set up in the park.

 

The park was inaugurated by the chief minister earlier in the day, before the opening of the festival.

 

While highlighting various features of the festival, the chief minister informed that the state government has spruced up the security of tourists visiting major tourist attractions by setting up the “tourism police”.

 

The state home department set up the tourism police and it will be deployed at tourist places.

 

They will take special care of the safety and convenience of the tourists. This will make the tourists visiting the state feel safer and better, the chief minister said.

 

The Sangai Festival is an annual cultural-cum-tourism festival of Manipur. It has been held from November 21 to 30 every year since 2010.

 

However, it was not held in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is back this year with the pandemic situation improved.

 

Unlike the previous years in which its venues were concentrated in Imphal only, the festival is being held in as many as 13 venues across the hills and valley districts of the state.

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EP/LPD

(Release ID: 1877749)