By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 27: Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways, Sarbananda Sonowal, has emphasised the development of national waterways in the Northeast in general, and has assured that efforts from the central government will continue for the development of resources in Meghalaya’s river infrastructure in order to facilitate smooth operations of cargo, passenger and cruise vessels.
Informing this during an outreach programme in the state capital on Saturday, Sonowal underlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s focus on improving waterways infrastructure in the Northeast.
During the programme, the union minister engaged in detailed discussions with business leaders, youths, and women about the Union Budget 2024, emphasising its role in advancing towards a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and the Northeast’s significant contribution to this vision.
The outreach programme aimed to gather feedback from diverse community representatives to ensure the budget effectively addresses the region’s unique needs.
Sonowal noted the Budget’s nearly 200 per cent increase in allocation for tribal community empowerment, directing Rs 13,000 crore towards welfare schemes and initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram to improve socio-economic conditions of five crore tribal people across 63,000 villages.
The Budget’s commitment to Northeast infrastructure development includes Rs 19,338 crore for road and highway connectivity to boost tourism. Phase IV of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana continues efforts to provide all-weather connectivity, connecting 3,482 km of roads in Meghalaya since 2014 at a cost of 2310.76 crores.
Sonowal also addressed sustainable agriculture, with Rs 598 crore allocated for eco-friendly projects to combat climate change, soil erosion, and pest infestation. The introduction of 109 high-yielding, climate-resilient crop varieties presents opportunities for income generation and climate change mitigation in Meghalaya.
For the industrial sector, the Budget 2024 supports MSMEs through the MUDRA scheme and a new Credit Guarantee Scheme, enhancing operational capabilities and promoting industrial growth.
Direct Benefit Transfer interventions will offer Rs 15,000 to first-time employees, integrated with the Meghalaya Industrial & Investment Promotion Policy to boost job creation.
The Budget proposes upgrading 1,000 ITIs and establishing women’s hostels and creches to support the female workforce in industries, aligning with the vision of transforming the Northeast into a hub of skilled talent and natural farming.
The programme was also attended by BJP MLAs Alexander Hek and Sanbor Shullai, state BJP president Rikman G Momin, and North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU) Vice Chancellor PS Shukla.