SHILLONG, Aug 14: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Sunday said externally-aided projects of almost Rs 10,000 crore are in different stages of implementation in the state and the funding agencies are allocating additional resources for these projects.
He said this in his message to the people of the state on the eve of the Independence Day celebration.
Asserting that the government has taken every step to place the economy on a higher growth path, the chief minister said: “The schemes of the government of India are being implemented very effectively. We are one of the top states in the implementation of MGNREGA and providing an income transfer of about Rs 14,000 to five lakh rural households.”
He claimed the funding agencies, impressed by the progress of the projects worth Rs 10,000 crore, have been allocating additional resources for their completion.
Sangma said the government formulated a youth policy in 2021 to plan for their improvement.
“We are providing grants of up to Rs 1 lakh for the 2,000-plus registered youth organisations in the state to take up youth development activities,” he added.
He said that while farmers and women continue to be the bedrock of the state’s economy and society, special attention is also being given to making the youth future-ready.
Sangma also said infrastructure creation has been given a push like never before. “National and state highways, and district and rural roads have been taken up in all the districts and large water supply projects in many places have also been completed,” he said.
He said critical sports and tourism infrastructures are about to be operationalised and the five-star hotels — The Courtyard managed by Marriott and the Crowborough managed by Taj Vivanta — will be inaugurated in the next few months.
“The Information Technology Park at Mawdiangdiang has already been operationalised and providing jobs to thousands of our youth. The overall law and order situation in the state is by and large peaceful,” he said.
Asserting that the NPP-led MDA government took the first step to resolve the interstate border disputes in the Northeast, Sangma said: “A historic MoU was signed between Assam and Meghalaya in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in March 2022 to resolve six of the 12 areas of differences.”
On disasters, he said, “Our state has witnessed large-scale devastation due to natural calamities in the past few months. I offer my deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives due to the floods and landslides.
“I would also like to commend the strength, resilience and fitness the people showed during these difficult times. The government is trying its best to bring normalcy to the lives of the people and restore the damages done to the infrastructure,” he added.
“We will keep serving the state with even greater dedication in the coming years to encapsulate the world and the vision of my government and for our state,” he assured.
