Finance Commission meets trade bodies, assures help
SHILONG: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has said the state’s international border which is often seen as a problem can open up opportunities for trade and commerce.
Welcoming the 15th Finance Commission led by N K Singh in the city on Tuesday, the chief minister said with the cooperation from the neighbouring countries, the resources and opportunities in the state can be given the right catalyst to add economic value to the products.
Sangma, his cabinet ministers and senior officials of the state government had a meeting with the commission.
The chief minister said 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”, Conrad 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 chief minister also said 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 there are challenges in the health and education sectors and yet the government is pro active in both these sectors.
“The population of around 30 lakh will be covered in the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme and the health centres with high MMR and IMR will be given special attention and all programmes and schemes will be monitored online for effective implementation,” he said.
He further stated that 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.
“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,” he said.
The chairman of 15th finance commission said it would like to be a partner in helping the state to realise the dreams that look feasible. He also said that the visions of the state mirror the ideas of the finance commission and share the optimisim to help the state within the constitutional mandate.
Meanwhile, the 15th Finance Commission on Tuesday held a meeting with the representatives of the trade and industry bodies of Meghalaya.
The commission was apprised that the Meghalaya government had launched Industrial Policy-2012, which promises to provide a package of subsidies, incentives and assistance to micro, small, medium, large, mega large and ultra large manufacturing and service enterprises; enterprises promoted and managed by “women entrepreneurs /physically challenged with additional 10 per cent on the state capital investment subsidy; industries coming up in backward areas will get an additional 15 per cent on the state capital investment subsidy and others .
The commission observed that like the other seven states of the North East, Meghalaya also faces the disadvantages of remoteness from the mainland of the country.
“It has to promote not only internal trade with other states of the North East and the country as a whole but also external trade with neighboring countries, such as Bangladesh”, the commission said.
According to the commission, Meghalaya needs to strengthen its infrastructure to attract foreign investment in the state.
Good transportation networks are necessary to interlink potential growth centres, promote tourism, connect to border trade points, and support economic, social, and security needs.
The commission said Meghalaya should take full advantage of the various central government funded schemes like ASIDE (Assistance to States for Development of Export Infrastructure), EDF-NER (Export Development Fund for North East Region), and others to increase exports with Bangladesh.
The commission assured to look into all the issues raised by the trade and industry representatives while making its recommendations.