Huge investment being made in education, health sector: CM

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG, Feb 20: Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma today highlighted on the huge investments being made in the education and health sectors even as he exhorted the people to make concerted efforts to ensure that his Government’s agenda of making Meghalaya a hub of education and health becomes a reality.

Dr Sangma was addressing a gathering while iugurating a newly Multi-Facility Centre (MFC) besides handing over a medicine truck as well as an ambulance to the PHC under Border Area Development Programmes at Darong Adu, Purakhasia in South West Garo Hills.

The Chief Minister while stating that there are number of business opportunities waiting in the backyard, he stressed on the need to give training programmes to empower the youth for taking up entrepreneurship and also for trainings in many other fields.

Dr Sangma also called on the people of the area to make full use of the infrastructure for such trainings so as to gain optimum benefits of all government schemes and programmes.

“Let us create positive stories about the area by training our young people”, he said.

The Chief Minister also stressed on the dignity of labour calling upon the youth not to shun manual labour, adding that bringing migrant labourers can result in all kinds of social problems.

It may be mentioned that a number of infrastructure are created under various schemes through the Department of Border Areas Development to bridge the gaps in development in both the intertiol and inter-state border areas.

As such the construction of MFC at Darong Adu was sponsored by SPA 2012-13, while the medicine truck and the ambulance were doted to the PHC under Border Area Development Programme (BADP).

The multi-facility centre can be used for wide-ranging activities and trainings under various government programmes and also for social activities in the area.

Dedicating the assets to the people of the area, the Chief Minister said that creation of such infrastructure was aimed at uplifting the socio-economic conditions of the people.

“If we are able to improve the socio-economic conditions of the people, everything else will fall in line,” he said and informed the gathering that State Government would be making more investments in the Border Area Development sector.

While calling upon the local leaders to make use of the MFC also for coaching the students of classes VIII, IX and X to ensure good results, Dr Sangma informed the gathering that the Chief Minister’s Career Guidance Programme was being made demand-driven as pushing the programme invariably failed to bring positive results.

Later, the Chief Minister along with other dignitaries also distributed jerseys and sports kit to the schools and clubs of the area under Border Area Development Programme.

Speaking as the guest of honour, Government Chief Whip WD Sangma also said that the MFC could be used for various purposes, even as temporary shelter during tural calamities and other community programmes.

He highlighted on the “visible signs of development” taking place in the area adding that Rs.4.80 crore has already been sanctioned for the new irrigation project in the area and also requested the Chief Minister to sanction for the construction of the remaining 7 km of road connecting Purakhasia with the district headquarters.