SHILLONG, April 29: The state government has asked the University Grants Commissions (UGC) to establish CUET test centres for all 12 districts of Meghalaya.
This was informed by Chief Minister Conrad Sangma during the inaugural programme of A’konggre Secondary School, Tura.
Built at an estimated cost of Rs 1.47 crore under Asian Development Bank’s Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya and implemented by the Education department, the new building includes classrooms, science lab, computer lab and digital classrooms.
Speaking at the inaugural programme, the chief minister said that the MDA government has accorded top priority to the state’s education sector.
He informed that out of the total expenditure of Rs 16,000 crore, which is incurred by the state, around Rs 2,700 crore is spent annually for education, which includes salaries of teachers and development of learning facilities and infrastructure.
“Close to 20 per cent of the total State Budget is accorded for education,” the chief minister said.
He also informed that his government, in the next six months, will renovate over 2,500 government LP schools and will provide 11 secondary and higher secondary schools with a financial sanction of around Rs 3-4 crore for overhaul of infrastructure as well as learning facilities.
Calling on the students to appear for Common University Entrance Test (CUET), he informed that the state government has written to the UGC for establishment of CUET test centres in all the districts of Meghalaya.
Govt rolls out Ginger Mission in WGH
Three days after the statewide launch of Ginger Mission, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma rolled out the flagship programme at Oragitok under Rongram Block in West Garo Hills on Friday.
The roll-out programme was attended by MLA Thomas A Sangma, farmers and others.
Interacting with the farmers, the chief minister said that the objective of the Ginger Mission is to increase the production of ginger in the next three years and ensure that the state becomes one of the largest producers of ginger in India.
Informing that in the last four years, the government, through different farmer welfare programmes, has mobilised more than Rs 1,000 crore, Conrad said, “For effective utilisation of the funds and schemes, we need to ensure that people at the grassroots are well informed about this programme and take maximum advantage with the formation of cooperatives societies, self-help groups and producers group.”
Conrad said that it is difficult for the state machinery to reach out to the farmer fraternity directly as Meghalaya has nearly 4.5 lakh farmers.
In this regard, he exhorted various individuals and organisations to come together to initiate formation of cooperative and multi-purpose societies.
During the programme, Conrad also distributed cheques amounting to Rs 27.60 lakh to 40 producer groups as well as bee-keeping boxes under Apiculture Mission 2.0 to beneficiaries.