Shillong, November 26: Meghalaya government has asked for Rs 50, 000 crores from the Fourteen Finance Commission to meet the state’s requirement in term of infrastructural and other development related issues.
Chief minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after the first sitting of the commission on Tuesday,“We have also asked for an overall award of around of Rs 50,000 crores which include the pre-devolution of Rs 35, 000 crores to cover all the basic needs of the state including the upgradation of state’s specific needs, maintenance of roads and to enable the state to complete various schemes.”
Sangma said the state government has also resorted to an exercise for normalization of over 11,000 posts which will be cover under the non-plan expenditure. This exercise will further reduce the burden on the state’s expenditure from plan money.
Stating that an exhaustive presentation on the state’s specific needs was presented, Sangma said, “We have also projected the various parameters reflecting the status of the state’s economy and the challenges the state has, the challenges which are unique special to the state of ours and common to the special category states of the north east.”
Sangma also informed that Meghalaya has made special focus on the various challenges that are before the state in respect to infrastructural requirements, huge gap between the actual demand and capacity of the state to provide infrastructural sector and the need to actually support those sectors which are in sync with the state’s initiative to create livelihood opportunities for the people.
Sangma said that he has also presented the case of the state in respect of not being able to achieve various objectives basically link with various developmental strategy of the state because of the challenges which are specific and peculiar to the north east region.
Stating that the state has long international borders with neighbouring countries,Sangma said that these border have not been effectively and productively utilized to promote trade and commerce besides the borders remain porous creating certain problems including militancy and insurgency activities and the continuous access of arms and ammunition by anti national element . He said, “Due to this, it has ultimately derail the focus of the government and line departments on developmental programmes.”
Sangma said the major challenges in respect of strengthening the internal security apparatus of the state which will be capable of meeting the challenges is one of the areas that have been highlighted with much more emphasis.
On infrastructural development, Sangma informed that the infrastructure like road connectivity, the need to convert roads into all weather roads, convert huge number of timber bridges, all these support system which are needed besides whatever funds allocation that is coming from the planning commission under state plan allocation has been highlighted the state’s presentation to the commission.
Sangma also revealed that special areas have also been flag for specific awards in term of state disaster litigation funds, in respect of state’s commitment to implement various programmes (national food security), pension scheme, high court campus, education department and others,” he said.
According to Sangma, the newly created four new districts of Meghalaya will also require support system for completing the infrastructural requirements besides the state’s flagship programmes which are directly link to promotion of livelihood of the people.
Sangma said, the state government has also requested the Finance Commission to be more considerable keeping in mind the various challenges that the state is subjected to because of the specific problem which is specific to the states of north eastern region and the kind of special consideration which the Commission needs to extend in view of these challenges which are peculiar to the region.
A number of points have also been flagged before the state government by the Commission headed by its chairman Dr YV Reddy during the interaction.
Sangma assured that the state government will attend to all these points and would provide its stand and response as both continues engagement with each other.The commission would meet the Autonomous District Councils and other political parties on Wednesday. – By Our Reporter
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