SHILLONG, July 11: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday highlighted the significant increase in central financial support to Meghalaya over the past decade, particularly in tax devolution.
Speaking to the media here, Sitharaman stated that between 2014 and 2024, Meghalaya received Rs 48,883 crore in tax devolution — a remarkable 572% increase from the Rs 7,273 crore it received during the previous decade (2004–2014).
Similarly, grants-in-aid to the state more than doubled, rising from Rs 19,700 crore in 2004–2014 to Rs 40,452 crore in the 2014–2024 period.
She emphasised that in the post-COVID era, the Centre’s focus has been to help states like Meghalaya recover economically and accelerate growth through capital investments.
Under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme, the Centre has disbursed Rs 5.3 lakh crore as interest-free loans to states for a period of 50 years. Of this, the Northeastern region received Rs 48,804 crore, with Meghalaya alone getting Rs 5,471 crore, she informed.
Sitharaman explained that these funds were initially untied, but later installments were linked to performance benchmarks.
“All the Northeastern states have received funds to invest in capital asset creation,” she said.
The Minister noted that these investments have supported transformative projects nationwide. One key development, she said, is the adoption of digitised public finance systems by all states under the SNA-SPARSH framework, improving fund management and transparency.
She further informed that 18 states have implemented land pooling strategies to minimise land wastage in industrial zones. Additionally, 22 states have established hostel infrastructure within industrial parks to support migrant workers and apprentices.
She added that 28 states, including Meghalaya, are developing hostels for working women to ensure safer and more inclusive urban workplaces.
Sitharaman also underlined the Centre’s support for states in accessing externally-aided projects from the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
She said partnerships with these institutions are helping states with limited technical capacity to implement large-scale projects and adopt global best practices.
On the sustainability front, she informed that over 25,000 outdated government vehicles have been scrapped to modernise fleets and reduce emissions.
“More than 90% of land maps across the country have been digitised and geo-referenced, making them more accessible and enabling rural landowners to use land as collateral for credit,” she said.
Furthermore, she added that 91% of land ownership records nationwide have been digitised, providing legal clarity, reducing disputes, and empowering rural and tribal communities.
“In many rural and tribal areas, people didn’t have legal documentation for the land they have lived on for years. With digitised records, they can now access loans and treat land as a valuable economic asset,” the Minister added.
