Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday announced the “Viksit Meghalaya” plan to take the state's economy to $100 billion by 2047.
“This is an ambitious plan to transform India into a developed country by 2047, the 100th anniversary of India's independence,” the chief minister said while hoisting the tricolor flag at the Polo Grounds as part of the independence celebrations.
“I hope that 'Viksit Meghalaya' will become a $100 billion economy by 2047, when it celebrates its 75th anniversary,” he said.
Said that he was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s grand vision of “Viksit Bharat” while formulating the vision of “Vikshit Meghalaya”.
In early 2022, during the state's 50th anniversary celebrations, the chief minister reminded that the state had launched the Meghalaya Industrial and Investment Policy with a target of attracting Rs 10,000 crore investment and creating 500,000 jobs by 2028, which State GDP is expected to reach $16 billion by 2032.
The chief minister urged everyone to contribute to the country's economy and said his dream is to create the “Meghalaya Decade” (2022-2032).
“Meghalaya 2032 is more than the government’s 10-year goal. It is a vision for our collective future.
He said that apart from the objective of placing Meghalaya among the top 10 states in the country within 10 years, the document also provides 10 key guarantees to every citizen of the state.
“These safeguards include road connectivity, water, electricity, housing, affordable healthcare, quality education, social security, internet and telecom services, door-to-door services and community infrastructure such as sports grounds and community halls, even in the most remote areas of the state. Remote areas,” he said.
The CM said some guarantees have become a “reality” as the government has provided piped water connections to 520,000 households, taking the coverage to 80% in five years.
On road connectivity, the Chief Minister said the Center has sanctioned new road projects worth Rs 2,500 crore, building on the state's good performance of constructing over 2,500 km of roads in the last five years, improving connectivity in 7,000 villages nature, with many of its villages located in deep valleys and mountaintops.
He also said that the healthcare industry in Meghalaya has undergone significant transformation in the past few years.
“We have seen a 47 per cent drop in maternal mortality and a 30 per cent drop in infant mortality. This record drop is attributed to the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Programme.
On improving the lives of rural women in Meghalaya, the chief minister said the government is implementing a plan to improve the income of 100,000 women and create “Lakhpati Didis, Lakhpati Kongs and Lakhpati Abis”.
Conrad said around 6.5 lakh families in Meghalaya are benefiting from MNREGA and said the state has a vibrant self-help group movement of over 45,000 women's groups.
He also said that the state government has proposed to allocate Rs 2,000 crore to build more five-star hotels and high-end resorts in Shillong, Sohra and Tula on PPP mode.
Boasting the government's homestay scheme, the chief minister said more than 600 homestay families have been sanctioned in the past two years and another 2,000 have been targeted for India's most attractive homestay scheme, which provides up to 70 per cent of the project cost of subsidies.
The Chief Minister said that to combat the growing problem of deforestation, several afforestation and landscape rejuvenation schemes are being implemented.
“The government pays communities and individuals to protect forests under the Green Meghalaya scheme. In just two years, we have protected over 56,000 hectares of forest. We expect to protect another 100,000 hectares of land in the next five years,” he explain.
He said that the state government has implemented the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam in the state.
He, however, said the borough council courts would continue to function in accordance with the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published by PTI)
