Staff Correspondent
SHILLONG, March 5: Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik today informed the State Assembly that the NPP-led MDA Government is making concerted efforts to improve the standard of living through better governance.
Addressing the Budget Session of the Meghalaya Assembly on the first day, Malik said: “The Government is particularly focused on enhancing the service delivery in health and education sectors and making larger investments in physical infrastructure.”
Malik said one of the other focus areas of the Government is on improving rural livelihood and promoting enterprises through mission mode interventions.
The Governor stated that at present 39 projects are being implemented in the State, including two sponsored by the North Eastern Council, The rest are being funded under the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources.
The total cost of these projects is Rs 915 crore and the projects include roads and bridges, schools, water-related interventions, transport, protection of catchments areas and streamlining the services sectors.
On developing the education sector, Malik said that several new school and college buildings are being built, and that the existing educational infrastructure is being upgraded.
On the health sector, Malik said that the Government has managed to effectively contain the spread of COVID-19 and remained focused on strengthening the capacity of the health system and its delivery.
“In 2020, the State topped the list in reducing malaria cases by 59 per cent in the country as compared to the previous year,” he said, adding that the State has commenced vaccination against COVID-19.
Malik said that no development is possible without peace and 2020 was overall peaceful. “There were a few agitations by NGOs on issues concerning implementation of Inner Line Permit and protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019,” the Governor said.
However, the Government has effectively dealt with these agitations and moreover, law and order on the Meghalaya-Assam border has remained by and large normal.
Malik stated that the Government is committed to containing illegal migration, trans-border movement and activities of militants and anti-national elements along the international border with Bangladesh.
The Governor also mentioned a “special Atma Nirbhar loan” availed by the Meghalaya Power Distribution Corporation Limited to bail itself out of the current financial crisis. The loan has been availed to pay off all liabilities of Central generation and transmission companies.
