By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Jan 20: Meghalaya on Saturday celebrated the 52nd Statehood Day with cultural fanfare at the District Auditorium and Library at Tura.
The celebration this time broke tradition as it was for the first time that the state-level Statehood Day celebration was held at a different venue other than the state capital.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor extended his greetings to all the people of the state and paid tribute and respect to the great visionary leaders who fought for the statehood movement, freedom fighters and all the people who fought against British rule and sacrificed their lives to protect their culture and motherland.
Commending the development of various sectors in the state, he said, “Improving connectivity is essential to building the future of the state. Efforts are underway to upgrade and construct roads and bridges in various districts of the state. Our state government is setting a number of infrastructure-related to healthcare in terms of hospitals, CHCs, PHCs across the state to provide quality health care services to the people of remote areas. It is a matter of pride that Meghalaya is the third state in the country and the first state in the Northeast to have a comprehensive policy on mental health and social care.”
In his concluding remarks the Governor highlighted that Meghalaya is emerging as a business and investment friendly destination.
In his address, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma emphasised on the developmental initiatives of the state government and said that the state expenditure has more than doubled in the last five years, where in 2017-2018 the government spent close to Rs 9,000 crore and in 2023-2024 close to Rs 21,000 crore was spent in the financial year.
He further informed that under PMGSY from 2018 till date, close to 2,526 km of PMGSY roads have been laid, connecting 600 villages as in contrast to the previous 70. Allocation for improvement of all Block offices has been made with the process making considerable changes. All 2,500 government schools were given sanctions for either constructing of new building or complete renovation, he added.
Sangma further stressed that special focus and opportunities are being given to farmers, women and youth of our state, whether it is in the form of creation of self-help groups, or through music platforms, entrepreneurship and sports, all of which will go a long way in spearheading the growth and development of the State.
Cabinet Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said, “Meghalaya’s development over the years has been unique and commendable in many ways under the dynamic leadership of our Chief Minister Conrad Sangma.”
She said that the government has remained committed to tap into the state’s resources and revolutionise all sectors of government machinery through many schemes and initiatives. The government has made several in-roads in the sector of agriculture, tourism, power generation, education, information technology, entrepreneurship and all of the other departments.
On the occasion, the names of Meghalaya Day Awards for this year were announced. Risingbor Kurkalang was awarded U Tirot Sing Award for Arts & Literature, Dr. Delphine G Momin received the Pa Togan Sangma Award for Social Services and Phrangki Buam was awarded U Kiang Nangbah Award for Sports.
15 personnel were awarded the Governor’s Police Medal for outstanding service, six were awarded the Chief Minister’s Disaster Response Medal for outstanding service and 21 were awarded the Meghalaya Day Excellence Awards 2023 on the occasion.
Traditional songs and dances added pomp and grandeur to the celebrations.