SHILLONG: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma along with his cabinet ministers and senior officials of the State government had a meeting with the 15th Commission members here on Tuesday.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission is on a three day visit to the State from the 3rd to the 5th of June. The commission will hold meetings and interactions with all tiers of the local bodies in urban and rural areas, political parties and representatives of trade and commerce besides the State government officials.
In his Opening Remarks, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, while welcoming the commission to the State, said that the visit of the commission is important for the State as Meghalaya is blessed with a lot of resources, potential, opportunities and only investment in the right sectors is needed. “Realising the huge potential and resources in the State, the government has initiated various programmes on a mission mode to add value to the available resources,” the Chief Minister informed the commission. Apprising the commission on the various missions the government has taken up like the recently launched Muga Mission, Aroma Mission and Lakadong Mission he also highlighted the challenges the State faces in respect of its international borders, typical terrain and remoteness of the State. “The international borders the State shares which is often seen as a problem can open up opportunities to trade and commerce and similarly the resources and opportunities in the State can be given the right catalyst to add economic value to the products”, he added.
The Chief Minister also said that the ban on coal mining in 2014 has had a huge impact on the revenue of the State and has also affected other Allied sectors and this needs to be looked into and addressed. Further informing the commission that the State has moved forward in many aspects, the Chief Minister said that there are challenges in the Health and Education sectors and yet the government is pro active in both these sectors. “Around 30 lakhs of population will be covered in Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme and the health centres with high MMR and IMR will be given a special attention and all programmes and schemes will be monitored online for effective implementation,” he said.
He further said that the year 2022 is a very strategic year for Meghalaya when the 50th year of Statehood will be celebrated and the National Games will also be held in the State which will be a momentous and prestigious occasion to all.“There are many challenges but opportunities are immense and all that is needed is the right policies and right investment and the need to work as a committed collective team to achieve the dreams of the State,” said the Chief Minister concluding his speech.
In his speech, Chairman, Fifteenth Finance Commission said that the commission would like to be a partner in helping the State to realize the dreams that look tangible and achievable. He also said that the visions and dreams of the State mirror the ideas of the Finance Commission and share the optimism to help the State within the constitutional mandate to which the State is legitimately entitled.