SHILLONG: Despite the claim in the past that Meghalaya is a developing state, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma told the 68th plenary session of the North Eastern Council EC in Guwahati on Sunday that Meghalaya is a poor state.
Faced with challenges of insufficient access to markets, underdeveloped private sector and inadequate infrastructure, the chief minister said Meghalaya remains underdeveloped and is presently one of the poorer states in the country.
He said, “The state’s per capita income for 2017-18 was Rs 87,500 against the national per capita income of Rs 1,14,958.”
He said the state government plans to transform Meghalaya into an economically developed, sustainability-focused middle income state by 2030.
Making a difference
He informed that projects like the construction of a Double Circuit Tower from Nangalbibra (Meghalaya) to Agia (Assam) costing Rs 43.32 crore, upgradation of Mairang- Ranigodown- Azara Road costing Rs 100 crore and the upgradation of Jowai- Nartiang- Khanduli road costing Rs 67.36 crore have brought about substantial development to different pockets of the state.
Commenting on secondary education, he said to bridge the big demand-supply gap in secondary education, the state government is in the process of setting up Ekalavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) in all blocks of the state.
He informed that the total number of students in secondary schools is 1,04,727 and higher secondary schools is 54,739. However, the number of individuals in the age bracket of 15-19 years is 4,03,675.
Each of the residential schools will be constructed at an approximate cost of Rs 24 crore and will cater to 480 students when fully operational.
He informed that the state got a sanction for 11 EMRS from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and it is expected that 25 more EMRS will be sanctioned for the state in the next two years.
Health sector
In the health sector, the state is making efforts to improve maternal and child health indicators and said that the infant mortality rate is 39 deaths per 1000 live births and maternal mortality rate is 197 deaths per 100,000 live births.
“My goal is to reduce these numbers dramatically in the next 2-3 years. To achieve this, we have successfully piloted a new initiative that uses real time data on the pregnant women to monitor their health status on a continuous basis,” Sangma said.
He claimed that in South West Garo Hills district, where this initiative was piloted, institutional deliveries improved by 30 per cent in just three months.
Tourism
Speaking about the tourism sector, Sangma said the contribution of this sector to the state GDP is less than five per cent.
“We want to promote Meghalaya as a sustainable high-value tourist destination and to create a unique experience for national and international tourists. We are in talks with international brands like Airbnb for promoting the state in that direction,” he said.
As for the much awaited 2022 National Games, Sangma said the state would require expertise and financial assistance from the Centre.
