SHILLONG: Bindo Lanong, the chairman of the committee on common minimum programme of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA), said on Sunday the draft of the programme has been given to all the allies.
Lanong told The Shillong Times that the parties can give suggestions but the government will take the final call.
The draft common minimum programme will be discussed at the MDA meeting that will be held after the parties study the draft.
Elaborating on the features of the draft, the senior UDP leader said there is emphasis on the education sector and it focuses on, among other things, quality teachers and improving teaching of Science and Mathematics. The draft also wants “revamping of MBoSE”.
Commenting on the health sector, Lanong said there is a need for specialists in hospitals to cater to the demand in the state.
“Most of the people go outside for treatment. Why drain the economy of the state? There has to be drastic improvement in the health sector,” he added.
Besides, the draft seeks employability in agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and fishery sectors.
Pointing to the large number of fishery ponds created during the Congress’ tenure, Lanong said, “If there are many fish ponds, then why do we need to depend on fish from outside the state?”
The draft suggests setting up of music and sports academies to tap young talents.
Speaking about water scarcity, Lanong said, “Why not tap the rivers which flow to Bangladesh as most of the water from Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills are draining into Bangladesh.”
As for road connectivity, Lanong proposed the idea of durable roads and for traffic snarls, the draft contemplates skywalks and flyovers.
Speaking about the power sector, he said, “Power sector is very poor now. How will we run the industries?”
He added that the draft common minimum programme also discussed on the cottage and small scale industries, which will help in creating jobs.