By Aristotle Lyngdoh
The budget speech of Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma has certain overarching dimensions and a global outlook. By allocating a substantial amount towards SDGs, it shows that our state too is one of the stakeholders in this global objective. By saying our state, I mean each and every citizen is an inalienable part of the process.
For the benefit of all, there are altogether 17(seventeen) goals laid down by the UN Declaration in 2015 under the caption Agenda 2030. And these are 1. No poverty, 2. Zero hunger, 3. Good health & well being, 4. Quality education, 5. Gender equality, 6. Clean water and sanitation, 7. Affordable and clean energy, 8. Decent work and economic growth, 9. Industry, innovation & infrastructures, 10. Reduce inequality, 11. Sustainable cities & communities, 12. Responsible consumption & production, 13. Climate action, 14. Life below water, 15. Life on land, 16. Peace, justice & strong institutions and the last one Partnerships for the goals. The situation in Ukraine, and other conflict zones, will hinder the prospects of achievement, besides, the new regime in Afghanistan that forbids girls and women from attending school and workplaces. Given this picture, our small state will somehow contribute something to this global agenda.
The fundamental truth is that these are not only goals established by the UN authority and ratified by member countries, but they are symmetrical with the desires and expectations of every person and family here on earth. The state government is absolutely right when it realizes this essential aspect of humanity. But whether this is a well-thought out agenda or not will be proved during and after the implementation. From the beginning of this second term as Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma has shown some quality as a Wharton Business School alumnus, unlike in the previous term where he seemed to be under coercion especially from the coal lobby. Thus, in this budget, and as far as SDGs are concerned, it reflects that the Chief Minister this season has practically embarked on the concept ‘think global-act local’.
Having mentioned that the implementation part will prove the sincerity of the intention, functionaries of the implementation programs include public servants, government officials and employees, NGOs, individuals, etc., and the Chief Minister as the leader are part of this implementation program. The House has endorsed the budget, functionaries should ensure that it is rightly allocated and utilized, and at the grass roots level all the stakeholders should participate with enthusiasm and ownership alongside a sound monitoring system in place. This is a game changer for the whole community.
Basically, at the helm of all these goals, lies the significance of economic growth. Unless there is robust growth in the economy, these developmental goals will never be achieved. On the other hand, economic growth and employment depends on industrial growth which ultimately rely on the scale and type of affordable infrastructures available in the region. This land locked state has tremendous potential in many sectors no doubt. But the general psyche of the tribal people is preference for white collared government jobs but with less of an enterprising spirit, and subsequently the scope to tap these potentials is very limited. However, having said that, a new paradigm has emerged. Today there are many young entrepreneurs in the state who have set up small cottage industries.
Apart from agriculture, mining, IT and Tourism sectors that have found a place in the budget, food industry such as bakery, food stalls and others is also a large sector that has employed thousands of people young and old. But this sector requires supplementary support from the government in term of licenses, renewal, subsidies and other documentation in order to facilitate the growth of this sector. The government should help them to do business smoothly and happily.
The current budget has outlined the necessity to create infrastructure for the Meghalaya decade. Hopefully these infrastructures will last for decades and not like the Assembly dome or ISBT roofing. Infrastructure such as highways, railways, hydro electricity projects, etc. are quite a challenging task for the state government due to various land issues and other types of opposition from the public. But as a community we should understand the crucial need of infrastructure and work in partnership with the government. Infrastructures is considered to be the backbone and stepping stones toward a self-reliant economy. Besides, it facilitates the creation of jobs and other business opportunities.
In reality, the economic growth of the state is very poor due non existence of large and medium industries that can generate employment except mining industries which include cement factories. But this industry is being dominated and exploited by few lucky individuals whose idea about environment and social responsibilities is zero. Additionally, the rampant mining over the decades has destroyed the environment both land and water. And it will take years to restore the damage done to the environment. The need of the hour now is green industrialization coupled with social enterprises.
Coming back to the budget speech in relation to goal 16 of the SDGs – peace, justice and strong institutions, the Chief Minister has also stressed on the idea of creating and building more administrative units in the state in order to bring governance closer to the people. It sounds good but along with governance, justice must complement good governance. Therefore, judicial governance and judicial remedies should also be brought closer to the public. For instance, for an offence committed in a district or sub-division, a victim should not be penalised further by the length of time and distance to travel to get relief and justice. It is unfortunate however to see the budget speech silent on this important goal. Governance is not about maintaining law and order only; addressing people’s needs is also a priority.
In conclusion, Conrad Sangma is one of the few lucky Chief Ministers who has retained power on the occasion of this Golden Jubilee year of Meghalaya. Budgetary allocations are also driven and connected to this jubilee event as it appears. But the state government seems to have forgotten the heroes of our statehood. Forgetting their movement which is our cause today is like forgetting our own parents after they are gone. There is no attempt or plan to acknowledge their contributions except by Bindo Lanong in his book entitled ‘The Golden Meghalaya’ where the future generation can easily refer to and obtain information on.