By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, March 5: The state government has doubled the allocation for the Border Areas Development Programme (BADP) to Rs 29 crore this year, compensating for the sudden withdrawal of central government funding.
Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said that a large portion of the funds for border development came from the Centre, but the schemes have now stopped. “Now, the burden is mostly on the state to take up these projects. However, border area development cannot be viewed through just one scheme. Several projects related to education, health, and infrastructure are also contributing to development in these areas,” he said.
Sangma clarified that the BADP funds act as flexible gap funding, allowing MLAs to address urgent local needs such as school construction or minor repairs. “This is more like an untied fund that MLAs prefer because departmental procedures for projects can be long and complicated,” he added.
