Shillong, Aug15: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma hoisted the national flag at Polo Grounds on the occasion of 78th Independence Day, in the city, on Thursday.
Greeting the gathering and marking his seventh consecutive Independence Day address to the state, the chief minister invoked the Khasi poet and freedom fighter, U Soso Tham, urging the citizens to actively participate in placing Meghalaya among the top 10 states of the country within the next decade by providing 10 critical guarantees to every citizen of the state.
“ Iu ngin leh namar ka Ri’ (“What can you do for your country?”) asked the chief minister.
“Dear Meghalayans, I would like to assure all of you that the government is working systematically to build a better and greater Meghalaya. We need the participation and support of every citizen in this endeavour. On this important day, let us all commit to be more productive, enterprising, sensitive and empathetic. Let us also be optimistic and believe in our collective destiny. A destiny of being amongst the Top 10 states in the country by 2032, when Meghalaya turns 60,” Sangma said.
The crucial guarantees, also dubbed Meghalaya’s Misson 10 include providing road connectivity, water supply, power supply, housing, affordable healthcare, quality education, social security, internet and telecom services, doorstep service delivery, and community infrastructure such as playfields and community halls even in the most remote parts of the state.
The chief minister said while many of these pledges have already taken shape, many more will be fulfilled by the state government in the days to come.
Drawing inspiration from the Prime Minister’s grand vision of Viksit Bharat, the government is trying to make Viksit Meghalaya a 100-billion-dollar economy by the year 2047 when the state celebrates its 75th Statehood anniversary.
According to the chief minister, the new Meghalaya Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy targets to attract Rs10,000 crore of investment over the next five years to increase Meghalaya’s GDP to 10 billion dollars by 2028 and generate 5 lakh new employment opportunities while projecting Meghalaya’s GDP to touch 16 billion dollars by 2032.
Hailing vast improvement in the law and order situation in the state, the chief minister informed that steps have been taken to modernise the criminal justice system.
“We have applied the newly promulgated Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam to the courts of Meghalaya. However, the Autonomous District Council Courts will continue to function under the provision of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution,” said Sangma.
Progress has been made on the resolution of the inter-state border dispute with Assam, Sangma said adding that the state had also successfully evacuated Meghalayan students and workers from Bangladesh in wake of the recent crisis.
In order to achieve the 10 billion-dollar target by 2028 and generate 5 lakh new employment opportunities, the government has come up with several projects to increase the livelihood of the citizens of the state.
On the health sector, the chief minister said the government is bridging the gap in providing quality and affordable healthcare in the state and the state is seeing 47 per cent drop in maternal deaths and a 30 per cent drop in infant mortality. ” More than 30 new sub-centres have been constructed this year alone, with another 100 scheduled for completion. This will increase the total number of sub-centres from 460 to 610,” said the chief minister adding that over 137 of these centres have adjoining residential units for healthcare staff for round-round-clock service.
The development of infrastructure is also steadily progressing with more than 2,500 km of roads built in the last five years network to connect all districts, sub-divisions, blocks, markets, and tourist spots despite the challenges faced due to the rough terrain, Sangma said while adding that the Centre has recently sanctioned new road projects worth Rs 2,500 crore for the state.
With the success of tap water connections to 5.2 lakhs households, the chief minister announced that the next step is ensuring the sustainability of sources and that the government is working on a comprehensive program for protecting and rejuvenating hundreds of springs and surface water sources across the state.
More than 56,000 hectares of forests have been conserved while another 1 lakh hectares will soon follow in the next 5 years under the GREEN Meghalaya program, the chief minister added.
To solve the issue of traffic congestion in the state, Sangma said 1,200 new parking spaces are being created while expansion of roads, redesigning of junctions, and development of footpaths are currently underway. STEMS Shared School Bus initiative in Shillong has grown from a single bus to 27 with plans for further expansion, he pointed out.
“In Tura, an Integrated Administrative Complex, public spaces, and parking spaces are being designed. The Integrated Hospitality Complex and Tura Tech Park are under construction. The process of legacy waste management at the Marten landfill site in Shillong and Rongkon Songittal landfill site in Tura has already started,” Sangma said. The state is also developing iconic locations into centres for recreational, cultural, and social activities, he added.
In the field of higher education, facilities at various government colleges across the state have been upgraded with grants-in-aid being provided to 21 People’s Colleges while all NEHU-affiliated colleges have successfully implemented New Education Policy starting this academic year, he said.
To expand the Tourism sector, new projects will be implemented in a PPP mode with a proposed investment of Rs 2,000 crores to build more 5-star hotels, premium resorts, and luxury camping sites at Shillong, Sohra, Umiam, Tura, and other destinations, said the chief minister, adding that initiatives such as Cherry Blossom and Me’gong festivals will not only boost tourism in the state but also provided platforms to local musicians to perform alongside global music legends.
Commending Meghalayan youth for making a name in the field of sport, Sangma announced that the state has launched an expanded Mission Football 2.0 to strengthen the football ecosystem to support local athletes.
To boost income of farmers, the government has organised farmers groups, provided financial support, built cold storages, and processing units with some of Northeastern India’s largest and most advanced agro-processing units now in Ri Bhoi, South Garo Hills and West Garo Hills district, which are owned and managed by farmer producer organisations and cooperatives, said the chief minister.
About 6.5 lakh households across Meghalaya are benefitting from the MGNREGS program along with projects such as ‘Lakhpati Didis, Lakhpati Kongs, and Lakhpati Abis’ being implemented to improve the income of 1 lakh women, he said.
Govt initiatives
To support Meghalaya’s film and creative community and promote Khasi, Garo and Pnar languages, the government has also set up Hello Meghalaya OTT platform, to showcase high-quality local content in the form of films and music videos.
Highlighting the different projects the government has undertaken to create livelihood opportunities, the chief minister encouraged the people to get financial support from CM-ELEVATE, a program which offers to support about 20,000 entrepreneurs over 4 years, while ‘Skills Meghalaya’ program can help start business and get opportunities for overseas jobs for youngsters.
Under the CM-CONNECT program, issues highlighted by citizens are being followed up and the government is also appointing 1,500 ‘Village Data Volunteers’ who will be constantly present in the villages and deliver services at the citizens’ doorstephed said even as he encouraged citizens to use the toll-free, multilingual helpline number, 1971, to register their complaints.
Sangma also paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and the state’s very own tribal freedom fighters -U Tirot Sing, U Kiang Nangbah, and Pa Togan Sangma. The chief minister also honored members of the Defence, paramilitary and police forces in protecting the rule of law.
Concluding his speech with invigorating words of the great Garo poet, Jonmoni Shira, “Re·baaha salrang u·ina an·tangko, Krenga pilakan namatna jattangko”, (To uplift lands is in my own hands, now the time has come to know the land), the chief minister wished everyone a happy Independence Day.
