Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Saturday said the government is considering amendments to the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which is in force in Manipur, to make it humane.
The prime minister's promise comes after a prolonged agitation in the state for the withdrawal of the tough law.
"I think we need to consider some amendments by modifying some existing provisions or removal of old provisions to make the law humane," he said, addressing a meeting in the historic Kangla Fort.
The prime minister said the home ministry was working on the matter and once the amendments are made he was hopeful the situation would improve. At the height of protest movements demanding scrapping of the law, the government had set up a committee headed by Justice Jeevan Reddy that had recommended scrapping of AFSPA and its main provisions incorporated into the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
The prime minister had on earlier occasions told Manipuri delegations that the government was prepared to go into representations for amendment of the law when two years ago the demand for its repeal snowballed into a major issue in the wake of custodial killing and alleged sexual molestation of a Manipuri woman Manorama by Assam Rifles personnel.
Assuring Manipur, which goes to assembly polls early next year, of all-round development, Dr Singh said work on the ambitious Tipaimukh and Loktak hydel projects would begin soon and the Manipur Institute of Technology would be converted into a National Institute of Technology.
Dr Singh said a number of assurances made by him during his previous visit to the state two years back have been kept.
On the two hydel projects, he said the approval of the Project Investment Board has been received, while the necessary environmental clearance was awaited.
Dr Singh said the Centre and the state government were working closely and this would bring about an economic transformation in the state. "I would like to see rapid progress in all aspects."
Expressing concern over the high incidence of HIV/AIDS in the state, he said all efforts must be made to control and eradicate the menace for a bright future for the youth.
He also wanted the civil society to help in the gigantic task of controlling trade and use in illegal drugs and narcotics.
The prime minister said the rest of India was concerned with what was happening in Manipur, noting that Manipuris, by excelling in sports, were role models for 'young India'.
He hailed the achievements of the state in various disciplines of sports.
