Shillong, Feb 23: Ninety-two villages in Meghalaya have been selected under Vibrant Villages Programme-II, though the Ministry of Home Affairs has yet to notify implementation dates, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told the Assembly on Monday.
The central scheme, planned through 2028-29, will be overseen by the Border Areas Development department.
“The Border Areas Development Programme was discontinued by government of India in September 2022 and that is where the government of India decided that a new programme be brought in which is called Vibrant Villages Programme,” Sangma said while replying in the Assembly.
He added, “MLAs met me in regards to sanctioning of some amount because of discontinuation of BADP and I had included some amount but it is not sufficient as we have to cover interstate and international borders.”
“We will keep some amount to ensure this need is taken care of… one cannot judge development of border area from the amount spent under BADP alone,” he added, pointing to Lafarge SPV funding for Mawsynram and Shella.
Sangma said district-level committees mandated by Centre guidelines do not include MLAs, a gap the state has raised with Delhi.
“These are areas where final decision be taken at the central level… I will take up the matter personally,” he said.
The state has sanctioned Rs 14.99 crore for interstate border development.
