SHILLONG, Nov 8: The Opposition Congress has fired a salvo at the MDA government for failing to make Meghalaya one of the top-ranked among the smaller states.
The criticism followed the Public Affairs Index (PAI) 2021 that placed the state among the last of the smaller states in the country.
Congress working president, Ampareen Lyngdoh said the PAI 2021 rating is contrary to the claims of the state government. “This study considered overall performance, equity and growth, and it indicates the state has fared poorly in these three indices,” she said.
“It is one thing to claim prosperity and growth but it is another thing to conform to certain indexes. The PIA 2021 report is telling us that Meghalaya is at the bottom. The government should take note of this,” she added.
Lyngdoh said research and studies have negated the government’s claims on employment generation, family income and cost of living. “We are not doing well in the health and education sectors too,” she said.
Lyngdoh asked Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma where his government was doing well. “You apparently proved your performance by winning the by-elections. I visited all three constituencies and found villages without roads and potable water,” she said.
She further said the state has fared poorly in infant mortality rate and the safety of women and children while many places have no mobile network, depriving students of online classes for almost two years.
Lyngdoh ridiculed the state government for building coops, sheds and sties in the villages but without chicken, cows or pigs. She also found fault in the farm sector, asking why farmers have to buy urea from the black market when there’s a sudden shift from non-organic to organic cultivation. “As the opposition, it is our duty to question the government and for the government to give a reply. If the PAI report is wrong, the government should write to the NITI Aayog and challenge it,” she said.