Govt committed to transform Meghalaya into a 10 billion dollar economy by 2028: Governor
Meghalaya Governor CH Vijayashankar on Friday said the state government is committed to transform Meghalaya into a 10 billion dollar economy by 2028.
Delivering his maiden address during the first day of the Assembly’s budget session, Vijayashankar said, “As we continue our ambitious journey to transform Meghalaya into a 10 billion dollar economy by 2028, we recognize this moment as an opportunity to reaffirm our collective commitment to the development of our great state. Today, we reiterate our constitutional duty to work together towards a brighter future for the people of Meghalaya. Let us unite in our pursuit of progress, driver by our shared vision for a prosperous and thriving Meghalaya.”
He said the government envisions a Meghalaya which caters to the distinct needs and ambitions of the local communities adding to achieve this, the state is building a development model that embodies the Meghalayan spirit – one of collaboration, bold action and innovation. The government is developing a framework which seamlessly integrates traditional knowledge with modern innovations to achieve scale and impact.
The governor also said that the government is dedicated to driving holistic growth in Meghalaya, showcasing its rich culture, and enhancing services for citizens.
“We have made significant advances in the past year, introducing innovative initiatives like CM CONNECT and Hello Meghalaya. These efforts have leveraged technology to help put Meghalaya’s vibrant cultural heritage in the spotlight and ensure effective governance for our citizens.”
He said improvement in sectors like roads, power, water supply, investment promotion, IT&C, tourism, and agriculture will drive the economy growth in the state and interventions in the fields of healthcare, education, livelihood generation, social security and citizen-centric governance will ensure holistic welfare of every citizen.
Highlighting the policies and programmes of the MDA government, the governor said the state is currently implementing multiple externally aided projects, in the sectors of roads, power, agriculture, water conservation and tourism. These projects are funded by multilateral agencies like the World Bank, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the New Development Bank, the Japan Internationa Cooperation Agency and the Asian Development Bank.
72 percent of the funding under these projects is a grant by Government of India, while the balance is contributed by the state government.
He said the government is leveraging funding support from the Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region through various schemes. Under the PM DeVINE program, 4 projects have been sanctioned this year, at a total cost of almost Rs 395 crore. These include construction of roads at New Shillong City, construction of IT Park at Tura, development of Skywalk and Tourist Hub at Dympep, and construction of Passenger Ropeway at Shillong Peak.
Claiming that the flagship entrepreneurship and employment scheme of the state – CM ELEVATE – is a big success, Vijayashankar said “Under this program, subsides ranging from 37-75% are being provided to set up various businesses in agriculture, livestock, tourism, sports, wellness and mobility. The scheme has positively impacted over 2800 beneficiaries through 12 specialised sub-schemes.”
Emphasizing the importance of road sector, the governor said several important road projects have been sanctioned this year to improve connectivity to remote and far-flung areas.
He said the Shillong-Dawki Highway and Tura-Dalu road projects are progressing well with approval granted for a new alignment of the Pynursla bypass.
Additionally, key projects such as the Shillong Western bypass are also making steady progress.
“The Ministry of Finance, Government of India, has sanctioned an amount of Rs 2,460 crore for improvement of road connectivity and building growth centers in the state under the Meghalaya Economic Growth Corridor (MEGA) project,” he said.
The governor also informed that conversions of SPT bridges to steel bridges is also being prioritized. This year alone, 484 running meters of RCC bridges have been sanctioned. Under the PMGSY 3, the state has got a sanctin for 88 new road projects, covering 782 kms and 55 long span bridges, costing around Rs 1056 crore.
On urban development, the govenor said that the new Shillong City is at the forefront of innovative and inclusive city development, for which the foundation was laid on Meghalaya Day this year. Other key porjects like Skill Hub, Unity Mall and New Shillong Water Supply Scheme are being implemented. Under the smart cities mission, the integrated command and control centre was completed and inaugurated in Shillong.
Further, Vijayashankar said to ensure sustained economic growth in the state, the government is promoting investments through public-private partnership and to this end, Meghalaya State Investment Promotion & Facilitiation Act 2024 has been enacted. Also, the Meghalaya Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy 2024 has been rolled out through which attractive incentives are being provided and priority is being given t important sectors including tourism, hotels and hospitality, IT, biotechnology, food processing, music films and entertainments.
“To safeguard the interests of indigenous people of Meghalaya and to ensure that these investments generate employment for local youth, 90% of the non-managerial jobs in new industries are reserved for local people,” he added.
Stating that the government is committed to providing reliable power supply across the state, the governor said there has been no scheduled load shedding in 2024. “It is expected that in 2025, the state will remain free from scheduled load shedding, ensuring uninterrupted power for all by augmenting the infrastructure at the sub-station level,” he said.
He said bold reforms undertaken by the state government in the distribution sector in the last five years are showing results as the Aggregated Technical and Commercial Losses have been reduced from 32% to 17%.
Setting a clear goal of doubling the farmers’ income, Vijayashankar said the government is prioritizing farm-to-table interventions in high-value crops like turmeric, ginger, organgers, pineapple, herbs, spices and honey in mission mode, benefitting more than 43000 farmers and covering almost 11000 hectares of land.
In 2024, 3100 kg of Khasi mandarin and 5000 kg of pineapples have been sent to Dubai and Mumbai respectively. Recently, the state also exported its first ginger shipment of 15 metric tons to Dubai.
In regards to improving the health sector, the governor said that the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme (CM-SMS) luanched in 2022 aims to reduce maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional deliveries and comprehensive antenatal care. With a strong emphasis on community participation, the initiative has significantly improved maternal and child health outcomes.
Under the scheme, 144 transit home across PHC and CHCs, offering essential services such as transportation, accomodation and medical care.
“About 1.35 lakh pregnant women have availed themselves of transportation services. More than 22,000 high-risk pregnant women have benefited from transit home facilities. 3,408 children suffering from severe or moderate acute malnutrition have received transportation assistance,” he added.
The governor also informed that under the PM-ABHIM, the state has expanded its primary healthcare network by constructing 151 sub-centers at Rs 55.5 lakh per unit, with 60 already completed and 21 fully functional. Additionally, 10 integrated public health labs are being established at Rs 1.25 crore per unit to enhance disease surveillance and response, further strengthening the state’s healthcare preparedness.
“As a result of these interventions, the state recorded a 49% reduction in maternal deaths and a 32% decline in infant mortality in 2024 compared to 2020 marking a significant improvement in maternal and child health,” he said.
Further, the governor said that the state government’s first objective is to promote peace, security and well being of its citizens.
During the last year, the overall law and order situation in the state remained peaceful.
The successful conduct of the Lok Sabha elections in 2024 and the district council elections in 2025 was ensured through the effective measures taken by the district administration and police, he stated.
He informed that in the year 2023-24, the three new criminal laws – Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya ADhiniyam – were enforced with effect from July 1, 2024.
However, the Autonomous District Councl courts will continue to function under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule.
He said that the extensive efforts have been undertaken to ensure that all officers and personnel are thoroughly trained and well-versed in the new criminal laws.
In line with the three new criminal laws, the Directorate of Prosecution has been operationalized with the appointment of a Director and Assistant Public Prosecutors, he said while adding that the Forensic sciences laboratory has been upgraded to a full fledged Directorate of Forensic Sciences and crime scene infrastructure like mobile forensic science units have been sanctioned.
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