Govt spends Rs 50,000 Cr in span of three and a half years: CM

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaOctober 23, 2021

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday said the National People’s Party-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government has spent over Rs 50,000 crore in a span of three and a half years.

Addressing an election campaign at Umpling to drum up support for Pyniaid Sing Syiem, the party candidate from Mawryngkneng constituency, Sangma said he had told the people of the state that this government will work towards delivering development and to take the state forward.

“I am happy to tell you that we have been able to do exactly that. In the last three and a half years of this government there has been total expenditure of more than Rs 50,000 crore in the state. This is 15,000 crore more than what was there in the previous government,” he said.

“Therefore, in less than four years, we are able to spend more than what the previous government could do. We have crossed 50,000 crore of expenditure in a matter of three and a half years,” he added.

In terms of roads under the PMGSY, Sangma said only 700 kms was constructed by the previous government in five years whereas the MDA government was able to construct 1800 kms in three years.

“Where our position for vaccination was 24th position in the country, in three years we were able to come to number two position in the country. In terms of malnutrition, we were able to reduce that by over 90 percentwithin three and a half years,” he said.

“In terms of MGNREGS where the expenditure was at Rs 600 crores a year today we have been able to go more than two times and we spent approximately Rs 1,500 crores in MGNREGS every year and this money goes straight to the public,” he further claimed while asserting “This is governance, this is development, this is what the MDA government had promised to the people and we are moving towards that target.”

Apart from development, the Chief Minister said that the MDA government had also dared take bold decisions regarding the important political and social issues in the state.

He added for example the boundary issue, many governments have come and gone but the governments were not able to take any concrete steps toward resolving this issue.

“And it is for the first time in the history of the state that this government has dared to take up this issue, other governments would look at this issue and say let us not touch this it is politically sensitive and status quo would be maintained but MDA government has dared to take this step and has realized that people has given us the verdict to find solution to this long pending issue and we dared and we move forward,” he said.

“I can assure you that there is light at the end of the tunnel. You will see that we will find some level of resolution I cannot talk so much about it today as it a very complicated matter but whatever work we have done till done it looks like the picture is becoming clearer day by day and I am happy to see that we are able to move towards some resolution,” he added.

Stating that the government has also promised the people of the state to resolve the issue related to the Sweeper’s Colony (Themmetor), Sangma said that a committee put up by the government had submitted its report and had given its recommendations.

“Again not simple issue, an issue which has been prolonged year after year, again I am not saying we can find a resolution to it in one go absolutely not these are complicated problems involving many complications but at least this government has taken the bold step to find a resolution and taken some decision to move forward in a line where we can find a resolution in an amicable manner,” he said.

Appealing to the people of the constituency to vote for NPP, the Chief Minister said that the bye-election is like writing an exam with an open book and the reason being that the people want to have an MLA who would be part of the ruling government so that the constituency can get more development.

Sangma said all the MDA partners are supporting the candidature of the NPP and therefore, he strongly feel that the people of Mawryngkneng constituency do not have to think much as to who to select as the MLA  because “this is like an open book exam you already know the answer”.

On the other hand, the Chief Minister also said voting for the ruling party’s candidate will be a fitting tribute to the former Mawryngkneng legislator (L) David A Nongrum, who passed in February this year.

“He (David) was a very dear friend, very warm, very approachable and very genuine person. I do miss him a lot and it is a great loss for the people of Umpling as well as the people of Mawryngkneng,” he said.

He said that the former MLA wanted construction of the internal roads and a mini stadium in the particular place.

“(Therefore), it is our duty now to fulfill those dreams and the only way that we can take that forward it is to ensure that we work with the government together and take the dreams forward and fulfill that will be the real tribute to David and that is when his soul will also be in peace,” he said while urging the people of the constituency to unite and work together to make sure the government’s candidate win the upcoming bye election so that David’s dreams are fulfilled.