Conrad meets Jaitley again, discusses finance

SHILLONG: On the eve of the maiden budget of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma yet again met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Thursday in Delhi.
In a statement, the government said Sangma briefed Jaitley about the fiscal health of the state, especially in the context of change in the fund allocation by the Centre and delay in payment for Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan teachers.
Last week, Sangma had led a delegation of MDA partners to meet Jaitley.
The chief minister discussed a wide range of issues such as early sanction of funds to ensure smooth implementation of government policies and programmes.
Jaitley was concerned about the situation in Meghalaya and assured all possible help to the state.
After listening to the chief minister, Jaitley spoke to Union Secretary Expenditure Ajay Narayan Jha to address the concerns of Meghalaya at the earliest.
Following the telephonic directive, the chief minister met Jha and briefed him about the financial situation of Meghalaya.
Sangma also met the Principal Secretary to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nripendra Misra, at the latter’s office and sought the Centre’s support to meet the state’s dream of ensuring socio-economic development.
Misra has also assured Sangma that he would look into the state’s grievances.