SHILLONG, Feb 28: Governor CH Vijayashankar arrived in a wheelchair to address the members of the Meghalaya Assembly on the first day of the Budget session on Friday.
The Governor has been reportedly suffering from back and knee problems forcing him to use a wheelchair.
After being greeted outside by Speaker Thomas A Sangma, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Opposition Leader Mukul M Sangma, the Governor was escorted till the well of the House in his wheelchair.
He delivered a short address of about 15 minutes, posed for the customary photo with the legislators and left the Assembly.
Sources from Raj Bhavan said following the health issues, the movement of the Governor has been affected and he was in a lot of pain but despite the issues, he made it a point to visit the House and address the legislators for a short time.
State’s GSDP projected at Rs 59,228 cr
Addressing the Assembly, the Governor said that the Gross State Domestic Product of Meghalaya for the current financial year is projected at Rs 59,228 crore which is 11.6 per cent more than that of the previous year.
He said the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors have registered a growth of 16.6 per cent, 10.7 per cent and 10 per cent respectively in the current year.
He said the state is actively working to improve financial inclusion and over 8.5 lakh Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana accounts have been opened. Almost Rs 186 crore has been sanctioned under MUDRA (PMMY) loan, benefitting more than 14,000 individuals, he said. Additionally, Vijayashankar said the government in collaboration with Meghalaya Rural Bank is leveraging a new Interoperable Micro ATM technology. These Micro ATMs allow people to operate these devices in their local dialect – Khasi, Pnar and Garo.
On education, the Governor said the government is actively implementing a range of central and state scholarship schemes to support students from Class IX to the PhD level across all districts in Meghalaya.
These programmes aim to assist a diverse group of students through online application processes via the National Scholarship Portal and Service Plus. Last year, approximately 88,539 students benefited from these scholarships which entailed Rs 104.50 crore.
The Governor also said that 13 Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRSs) are under construction. He said detailed project reports for another 16 EMRSs have been approved for tendering process while land identification process is ongoing for the remaining 7 EMRSs.
Further, he said, infrastructure of more than 2,000 schools is being upgraded by the state government under the Mission Education Initiative Meghalaya. He said the state is at the forefront of implementing National Education Policy, 2020. The distribution of the Meghalaya Future Ready TLM Kit (Jadu Pitara) has commenced and it is benefiting around 92,000 students across 3,925 schools, he said.
“With support from the Ministry of Education, the government has launched the Meghalaya Vidya Samiksha Kendra which is a command-and-control centre to track school education outcomes. This has enabled the state to track online teacher attendance which has now increased from 30 per cent to nearly 85 per cent. It has also improved the Midday Meal reporting from 5 per cent to 95 per cent,” Vijayashankar added.
Mentioning the recent inauguration of the Captain Williamson Sangma State University which is Meghalaya’s first state university to be recognised by the University Grants Commission, he said affiliation with this varsity will ensure that the students are not required to appear for the Common University Entrance Test for undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
On power sector, the Governor said there was no scheduled load-shedding last year and it is expected that the state will remain free from scheduled load shedding this year, ensuring uninterrupted power for all by augmenting infrastructure at the sub-station level.
He said bold reforms undertaken by the state government in the distribution sector in the last 5 years are showing results – the Aggregated Technical and Commercial Losses have been reduced from 32 per cent to 17 per cent. He said major strides are also being made in the renewable energy sector with large-scale usage of solar power for community health infrastructure and for small and medium food processing units.
On health sector, he said the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme launched in 2022 aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional deliveries and comprehensive antenatal care. With a strong emphasis on community participation, the initiative has significantly improved maternal and child health outcomes, the governor said.
He also said that 144 transit homes across Primary Health Centres and Community Health Centres have been established offering essential services such as transportation, accommodation, and medical care. These transit homes have provided critical support to a large number of pregnant women.
Highlighting similar initiatives, he said as a result of these interventions, the state recorded a 49 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 32 per cent decline in infant mortality in 2024 when compared with the figures of 2020, marking a significant improvement in maternal and child health.
He said 10 Integrated Public Health Labs are being established at Rs 1.25 crore per unit to enhance disease surveillance and response, further strengthening the state’s healthcare preparedness.
Additionally, he said the Megha Health Insurance Scheme and Ayushman Bharat PMJAY provide Rs 5.3 lakh per family in comprehensive coverage, benefiting almost 7 lakh households, including 3.8 lakh under PMJAY. The latest phase MHIS 6 launched in September 2023 expands coverage for maternity, childcare, and chronic diseases.
On mining and geology, he said since the ban on rat-hole coal mining was imposed in the state by the National Green Tribunal and upheld by the Supreme Court, the livelihoods of lakhs of people dependent on coal mining directly or indirectly have been severely impacted.
“The government has been working relentlessly to transition to scientific mining in the state. Three applicants have now received final approval from the Ministry of Coal to begin scientific mining operations. An additional 20 applications have been forwarded to the Ministry and are in the advanced stages of approval,” he added.
