Governor Brig BD Mishra (retd) participated in the 70th Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC) in Guwahati today where he called for environment conservation to be made a priority for Meghalaya.
Speaking on the occasion, the Governor, who took charge of Meghalaya in addition to his role as Governor of Arunachal Pradesh recently, said that the North East region has undergone a huge transformation over the last few years.
This, he said, has largely been possible on the account of the immense hard work that has been put by the respective state governments and the high priority being accorded by the Indian government to the developmental needs and aspirations of the region. The Prime Minister’s call for ‘Act East’ has given a major thrust to progress in the region, as a result of which various pending infrastructure projects are being taken up and completed on war-footing, he said.
Brig Mishra said that Meghalaya is a land of immense opportunities and also resource challenges. The state, which is celebrating its 50th year of statehood, is committed to continuously improving the standards of living of its citizens and transforming Meghalaya into one of the top 10 states of the country by the end of the decade, he said.
While highlighting the challenges peculiar to Meghalaya, he said that climate change and anthropogenic conditions have put the state under severe strain. Since nearly 80 percent of the state’s population is dependent on natural resources for sustaining varied forms of agri-based livelihoods, he suggested giving priority to environment conservation efforts.
