By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 22: Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh on Tuesday said the state government will firmly deal with any illegal activity in the state.
The statement comes close on the heels of a crackdown by the police on the newly-floated insurgent group National Liberation Council of Nongkyndong. Several members of the outfit were arrested recently.
“We will deal stringently and strictly with any such activity. We will go all out,” the minister warned.
Hailing the police for doing the “correct thing”, she said, “The arrests send a big message to others that we will say no to insurgency.”
Asked if the problem of unemployment contributes to the birth of such outfits, Lyngdoh said unemployment affects people from all backgrounds. However, she continued, the lack of jobs may not be a reason for people to take up arms.
She said she would not attribute unemployment as the primary cause of it but that a nation that rises to its challenges will have to step up and the state government is just doing that.
She also said that the state government is attempting to generate jobs, be it in the IT sector or tourism sector, or any other department that has the capacity to do so. She said the people of the state should not be disheartened because unemployment is not a Meghalaya-specific issue but it is everywhere.
Expert Committee
Lyngdoh, who is also the chairperson of the Roster and Reservation Committee, said the names have been shortlisted for the constitution of the Expert Committee to review the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy. She said the list of the names will be placed before the Cabinet soon for its approval.