Manipur bids farewell to its governor

Imphal: The Manipur government Friday accorded a ceremonial farewell to outgoing Governor Vinod Kumar Duggal, who submitted his resignation to President Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi Thursday. A farewell function was held at the Imphal Raj Bhavan where Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, his cabinet colleagues, top officials and party leaders were present.[caption id=“attachment_1316363” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Manipur Governor VK Duggal. Image courtesy PIB[/caption] Former home secretary Duggal, who holds additional charge of the governor of Mizoram as well, told reporters in Imphal: “I have submitted my resignation to the president on my own will.” The 69-year-old IAS officer became the governor of the Manipur in December 2013. He served as the home secretary from 2005 to 2007 and also served the Indian Army as a captain until 1971, before he joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). After the Narendra Modi government took charge 26 May, many governors have resigned. They include: BL Joshi (Uttar Pradesh), Shekhar Dutt (Chhattisgarh), MK Narayanan (West Bengal), BV Wanchoo (Goa), Vakkom B Purushothaman (Mizoram), Sheila Dikshit (Kerala), K Sankaranarayanan (Maharashtra) and others. Earlier 87-year-old Mizoram governor Kamla Beniwal, who had a strained relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi when he was the Gujarat chief minister and she the state’s governor, was sacked two months before her tenure comes to an end.