Discussions on safeguarding Manipuri culture, language and heritage will be held during the 44th annual conference of the Assam Pradesh Manipuri Association (APMA) to be held on March 28 and 29 at the Manipuri Sahitya Parishad Bhawan complex at Natun Bazar here.

APMA general secretary Laitonjam Akham said the association’s members, along with delegates from Manipur, other northeastern states, West Bengal and Bangladesh, would discuss how to protect Manipuri culture, taking every community together.

Akham said the previous edition of APMA, a state-level Manipuri socio-political, socio-cultural, socio-literary and socio-economic development organisation, was held in 2015. He said they would hold the meet in a befitting manner.

Manipur Speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh will be the chief guest.

Bashishtha Bujarbaruah, Saha Kshetra Pracharak of the RSS, Assam, will be the special guest of honour.

Hojai MLA Shiladitya Dev and Manipur MLA and chairman of Manipur tourism department S. Ranjan, among others, will be present.

Artistes from Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy (JNMDA), Imphal, and local artistes will put up a colourful cultural programme. Bangladesh ki Sana Tampha, a feature film in Manipur, will be screened.

A souvenir will be published followed by a felicitation programme where awards will be given to those who have excelled in the field of social work, literature, sports, art and culture.