SHILLONG, Jan 30: Claiming that the economic activities of the state are at an all-time low, Congress MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh said she is looking forward to “Restart Meghalaya Mission” which was launched by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on the occasion of Independence Day last year.
“The economic activities are at an all-time low. Employment generation is still a big challenge. I am looking forward to the Restart Meghalaya Mission project,” Lyngdoh said on Saturday.
She then hastened to add: “We don’t know if the blueprint is in place or not. At present, our people are being economically deprived due to various reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to find out what the blueprint is all about and who all will be the beneficiaries.”
Stating that sometimes such programmes are announced and the context and content is not made known to the public, she said it will be an interesting area to seek clarity from the state government during the Budget Session of the Assembly in March.
The Restart Meghalaya Mission project is based on the recommendations of the Chief Minister’s Task Force on the Economy on short, medium and long term measures for reviving the state’s economy, hit hard by the pandemic.
An amount of Rs 14,515 crore to be spent over the next three years for the Mission was announced by the government. Out of this, Rs 7,839 crore has been earmarked for 2020-21.
Under the project, there are six programmes including agriculture and its allied sectors, promotion of well-being and livelihoods in rural area, providing a one-time support up to Rs 10,000 for any new small business loans of up to Rs 50,000 etc.