The race for 2023 has well and truly begun. While the Modi Government at the Centre has been cogitating on the freebie culture adopted by political parties to win elections in poll-bound states, in Meghalaya the freebies come in various shades such as the creation of Sub-divisional headquarters even while some areas of Meghalaya such as Sohra are demanding for a full-fledged district. There are very few to question on whether the newly created districts have the wherewithal to function. Only a visit to these new districts such as South West Khasi Hills and the newly created Eastern West Khasi Hills reveal the lack of basic infrastructure. The Government does not appear to have a pragmatic plan or priorities to develop the districts created.
Any development requires a socio-economic roadmap and identification of resources required and where those resources will come from. Truth be told, in Meghalaya the only reason why new districts are created is to also generate employment in the government sector. But no one questions where the financial resources are going to come from when the state has zero revenue generation barring the GST reimbursements by the Centre. The creation of new districts therefore is a road to perdition. One look at the poor development indices of the state; its nutritional status, the state of its educational institutions and its poor connectivity even today suggests that the bulk of resources are going into payment of salaries with very little left for human development, leave alone infrastructure development.
There is much talk of institutional delivery to reduce maternal deaths and early childhood and infant mortality through newly created facilities where pregnant women and their families can stay closer to health centres until the delivery period is over and the mother is ready to return home. It is to be seen how such facilities are functioning. In Meghalaya it is easy to start something and create a buzz through media attention. The problem is of sustaining such infrastructure away from the prying eyes of the media in distant districts such as South West Khasi Hills or South Garo Hills which still labour from very bad or non-existent roads. Meghalaya has been flagging its ability to provide water through the Jal Jeevan Mission, meant essentially for the rural folks but in the heart of the city there are several areas that are afflicted from the deprivation of this vital life sustaining element. Wherever there is water, the quality is highly suspect. Apart from other forms of pollution, the iron content is much higher than is fit for human consumption. These are serious issues that need addressing but the attention of the MDA Government now is on jamborees and distributing freebies to distract the voters from real issues plaguing the state.
