The Meghalaya government has thanked Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman for presenting a growth oriented budget with special focus on employment creation and skill development.
In a statement issued today, the Joint Secretary, Finance (Budget) of the State government said the nine priority areas of the budget are aligned to Meghalaya’s Mission 10 and will provide the much required impetus to the growth of the State.
The nine areas are – productivity and resilience in agriculture, employment and skilling, inclusive human resources development and social justice, manufacturing services, urban development, energy security, infrastructure, innovation, research and development, and next generation reforms,
The State government also said that increase in the outlay of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investments which provides 50 years interest free loans from Rs 1.3 lakh crore to Rs 1.5 lakh crore in this budget is a positive development for Meghalaya and will accelerate infrastructure development in the State.
“In 2023-24, we have utilised more than Rs 1300 crore under this scheme,” the Joint Secretary of Finance said.
The official also said that incentives announced for first time employees (One month salary up to Rs 15,000 in three installments under DBT mode) based on EPFO registration can be dovetailed with the Meghalaya Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy, 2024 to ensure industrial development and accelerated job creation in our State.
“Further, extension of credit guarantee scheme to provide guarantee up to Rs 100 crore for MSMEs will complement MIIPP, 2024 and provide the much required capital to our young and aspiring entrepreneurs,” he added.
He also said that as the budget announces Industrial Parks in 100 cities, Meghalaya will leverage this opportunity to create world class industrial parks in the State.
“Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan scheme will be leveraged to saturate all the schemes in our State. All the villages in our State will be eligible for coverage under this programme,” he said.
Stating that setting up of 100 branches in the North East region by Indian Posts and Payments Bank will improve the banking coverage in our State, the official said that the State government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that Meghalaya gets a good number of these new branches.
He said that the one-year internship scheme announced in the budget will help job seekers to gain valuable experience from top companies. Under this scheme, interns will get a monthly allowance of Rs 5,000 per month for a year and a one-time allowance of Rs 6,000.
The Joint Secretary, Finance also said that increased focus on agriculture, especially natural farming will help Meghalaya as it is one of the first states to adopt natural farming in the North-East.
“The increased allocations will provide better seeds and planting material to our farmers and help in increasing their income,” he added.
