Meghalaya Governor Phagu Chauhan in his address in the Assembly today which is the first day of the budget session said that Meghalaya’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for the current financial year is projected to be Rs 47,381 crore which is 11 per cent more than the previous year.
According to Chauhan, the primary, secondary and the tertiary sectors registered a growth of above 10 per cent in the current year.
“The State government has set an ambitious target of making Meghalaya a 10 billion US dollar economy by 2028, thereby doubling the State’s GDP,” he said.
“Sectors like infrastructure, power, water supply, investment promotion, IT, tourism and agriculture will drive the economic growth necessary for achieving that target. Interventions in sectors of healthcare, education, livelihood generation, social security, green and citizen-centric governance will ensure holistic welfare of every citizen,” the Governor added.
Stating that the State launched the e-Proposal system to improve the overall efficiency of the government, Chauhan said that the system has digitised the process of obtaining all administrative and financial sanctions and more than 53,000 files have been processed by the system in the current year.
The following are the highlights of the Governor’s speech in the House.
Health & Family Welfare: Meghalaya’s public health indicators have shown remarkable improvement in the last few years. The State has experienced a 50 per cent reduction in maternal death following the introduction of the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme. The scheme’s existing network of 140 transit homes is being strengthened by upgrading 20 CHCs into referral units.
24.87 per cent of eligible infants have been brought under the State’s routine immunisation target. There has also been a 30 per cent reduction in infant mortality, both of which are record-breaking achievements.
The government has taken the lead in powering its public health Infrastructure by solar energy. Close to 400 sub-centres and more than 50 primary health centres and a number of other healthcare facilities are now fully solar powered. This has resulted in deliveries being conducted for the first time at sub-centres.
To bolster the State’s healthcare workforce, the Medical Recruitment Board has filled 47 per cent of vacant medical positions in just one year. The government has disbursed more than Rs 6 crore through 6,500 Village Health Councils to strengthen localised public health capacity through community participation.
Education: The government is currently upgrading the existing infrastructure in all schools. 208 Elementary, Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools have been taken up in Phase-l. 111 schools are being covered under Phase-II and another 1,725 under Phase-III.
The long-standing issue of recruitment of government elementary school teachers has been successfully completed recently. The 996 newly recruited teachers were handed appointment letters in programs at Tura and Shillong.
In the field of higher education, Shillong Government College of Engineering was inaugurated last year and will welcome its first cohort of students soon. The College of Architecture and Urban Planning in Tura is scheduled for completion later this year. The Captain Williamson Sangma Technical University Act was amended to make it a State University to be able to affiliate colleges. This is going to be Meghalaya’s first State university.
Sports & Youth Affairs: The last five years have seen consistent and systematic investment in sports Infrastructure and capacity building. World-class sports facilities like the Wahiajer Multisport Complex in Jaintia Hills and Pa Togan Nengminja Sangma Athletic Stadium in Garo Hills were inaugurated this year. Work on construction and upgradation of JN Stadium in Shillong and the PA Sangma Sports complex in Tura is progressing steadily. With the operationalisation of four new centres last year, there is now a Khelo India Centre in every district of Meghalaya covering a wide range of sporting disciplines like football, tennis, archery, athletics, and badminton.
Mining & Geology: The government is taking steps to ensure scientific mining of coal. The Ministry of Coal, Government of India has approved 17 applications for grant of prospecting license. Out of 17 applications, six applicants have submitted their geological report to the Central Government and have obtained approval. The Mining Plan in respect of four applicants has been approved by the Ministry of Coal and is awaiting Environment Clearance. With these developments, it is expected that scientific mining of coal will begin soon.
Food & Civil Supplies: The public distribution system of Meghalaya is being modernised through infusion of technology. All FCI warehouses, registered wholesalers and fair price shops in the State are being mapped through GPS for determining the cost-efficient routes for movement of food grains from distributors to end beneficiaries.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, LPG connections in the State have increased to 72 per cent within a short span of time due to close monitoring by the Deputy Commissioners. Another two lakh connections are being targeted by August 2024 which will increase LPG coverage of the State to 95 per cent.
Forest & Environment: Meghalaya is implementing the country’s largest Payment for Ecosystem Services called ‘Green Meghalaya’ to protect its 76 per cent forest cover through a participatory approach. Under the scheme, communities are paid an annual grant for conserving forested areas. Till date, almost 3,000 communities and individuals have been supported through the scheme for protecting almost 55,000 hectares of forested area. Another 1450 hectares have been forested under the State plan of the Compensatory Afforestation Management Fund. 5 ongoing schemes under the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council covering an area of 4783 hectares have been recommended to the Government of India to facilitate scientific management of forests owned by the community.
Power: Meghalaya’s power generation and distribution sector saw a number of improvements this year. A grid substation at Phulbari and the recently commissioned hydroelectric project at Ganol have greatly augmented the installed capacity of Garo Hills. A similar project at Riangdo in the Khasi Hills is currently under consideration. The government is also leveraging funds from the Asian Development Bank to improve the power distribution network across the State. Individuals and institutions will be provided substantial subsidies on the price of solar inverters and water heaters under the CM Solar Mission. This initiative aims to make uninterrupted power accessible to citizens in the remote areas by using renewable sources.
Revenue & Disaster Management: Extensive work on restoration of boundary pillars in the India-Bangladesh border was carried out by the department last year. A joint survey for demarcation of the interstate boundary in the six areas of difference with Assam was also taken up. Under the Aapda Mitra scheme, community volunteers were provided training in basic relief and rescue tasks during emergency situations such as floods, flash-floods and urban flooding.
Home (Political) & Home (Police): Following the signing of the historic memorandum of understanding in 2022 for six areas of difference, the process of survey has been initiated to demarcate the inter-state boundary. The Chief Ministers of Assam and Meghalaya met again in May 2023 to initiate the process of resolving the dispute in the remaining six areas of difference. The Regional Committees have conducted meetings with their Assam counterparts and the process for resolution of the remaining six areas is on track.
The Home (Police) Department has augmented the district-level police infrastructure and police housing. The Fire Emergency Services are being strengthened on priority.
The long-pending recruitment to 1,010 vacant posts was completed last year thereby augmenting the police force. Over 3,000 vacancies in various ranks of the Meghalaya Police will also be filled up in a time bound manner.
