Aizawl: Mizoram chief minister Lal Thanhawla on Friday said his government would not halt the implementation of the state's flagship programme, New Land Use Policy (NLUP), despite a barrage of criticism and stiff opposition.

Addressing party workers at Congress Bhawan here on Friday, the party leader said his government was firm on going ahead with the flagship programme as it is "God's programme" to uplift the poor.

He said the state government was not simply disbursing money but assisting the poor by providing them sustainable trade to enable them make a living and achieve sustainable development through the policy.

He reiterated that the state economy had registered a commendable growth after implementation of the policy.

Hitting out at the Opposition parties, the five-time Mizoram chief minister said the five Opposition parties in the state had earlier approached the Centre against the NLUP programme for they were jealous about its effectiveness.

"It was when the Opposition parties' criticisms and allegations fell flat before the central leadership that some vested interests filed a PIL against the flagship programme," he alleged.

Lal Thanhawla claimed that the policy had been implemented according to proper guidelines.

The NLUP is the Congress government's flagship programme that aims to provide sustainable livelihood.

The idea was conceived in 1984 and was implemented on a small scale from 1985 to 1992. The policy was again implemented in 2011 after the Congress came back to power in 2008.

The Aizawl bench of Gauhati High Court had last Friday put a stay on the implementation of the NLUP for four weeks following a PIL filed by social activist Vanramchhuangi.

The complainant alleged that many of the eligible beneficiaries were deprived of assistance under the policy due to the absence of transparency criteria for selection of beneficiaries.

She also alleged that the government had acted in an arbitrary and discriminatory manner by leaving out as many as six sitting Opposition MLAs for selecting beneficiaries while all the 34 ruling Congress MLAs and four others Congress workers were assigned to select beneficiaries from their respective constituencies or areas in contravention of NLUP regulation.

The government, however, said the high court had dismissed the case after the withdrawal of the PIL by the complainant.

It said it would continue to disburse assistance under the flagship programme and asked the people not to panic because of the stay order.