Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh has said that his Bharatiya Janata Party-led coalition government was planning to name the State’s districts after specific local fruits and spices such as ginger.
Manipur has 16 districts, five in the central Imphal Valley and the rest in the hills around. Each district is known for growing a specific variety of fruit or herb.
“Such plants give each district a unique identity. Our government is weighing the option of naming the districts after fruits and other special plants for granting recognition to the growers for such varieties,” Mr. Singh told The Hindu on Sunday.
He had floated the idea during a food processing technology exhibition under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Imphal West district on Friday.
The Chief Minister cited the examples of oranges in Tamenglong district, believed to be among the juiciest and sweetest in the northeast, the indigenous kachai lemon in Ukhrul district and ginger in Pherzawl district.
Mr. Singh, however, did not specify how the government would go about naming the districts.
