SHILLONG, Nov 11: East Garo Hills on Friday got its first civil subdivision with the inauguration of Rongjeng civil subdivision, the demand for which was pending for over four decades.
According to a statement, the Rongjeng civil subdivision was inaugurated by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma during a programme, in the presence of Deputy Speaker Timothy D Shira, legislators and the general public.
It may be mentioned that the new subdivision will now have administrative control over Rongjeng C&RD block.
An elated chief minister, while taking to Twitter, said that the government prioritises to push the areas lacking behind by bringing administration closer to the people. “As EGH’s first Civil Sub-Division, the newly inaugurated Rongjeng Civil Subdivision will bring more progress to the villages under it,” Conrad said.
Speaking on the occasion, local MLA Jim Sangma expressed his gratitude to Conrad for fulfilling the aspirations of the people as well as former chief minister Purno A Sangma, who had strongly advocated the creation of Rongjeng civil subdivision.
During the programme, the chief minister unveiled the plaque and handed over the notification to the SDO Reuben Momin.
“Happy to fulfil the long-pending needs of the people. PA Sangma had a close connection with the people of Rongjeng. The government is working with a vision to bring change and progress in the state,” the chief minister said during the programme.
“It is the endeavour of the MDA government to bring administration closer to the people. We are planning to upgrade many more blocks and subdivisions so that people can avail the services,” he added.
Speaking at length about the commitment of the state government to ensure better governance and delivery of services, Conrad recalled a statement made by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat during his recent visit that Meghalaya has been ‘most progressive’ in the implementation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) in India.
The chief minister also informed that Meghalaya has been performing well in various other sectors including the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), where the annual spending has increased to Rs 1600 crore. “In comparison to states like Nagaland and Manipur, the spending under MGNREGS is about Rs 600-700 crore while Meghalaya’s spending has been very high. This is the result of how our government has ensured better implementation of the programme,” he added.
Touching upon FOCUS and FOCUS+ programmes, the chief minister said the government has envisioned ensuring financial stability among the farming fraternity.
