Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday said that the state is amongst the top three alongside Telangana and Kerala in child immunisation. The health and economic well-being of women has been accorded the highest priority and the Infant Mortality Rate of Meghalaya has come down from 33 in 2018 to 29 in 2022, the Chief Minister said after hoisting the national flag on the occasion of Independence Day at the Polo Grounds here.
He said that at least one woman in every rural household is part of a Self-Help Group and they are taking up various livelihood and enterprise related activities. Sangma said, "I started the YESS Meghalaya programme to provide funding support up to one lakh rupees to all youth organisations in the state. This will empower our youth organisations to play a decisive role in making Meghalaya better."He said that the state government is giving Rs 10,000 to every producer household to support Athem in production activities under the FOCUS and FOCUS plus schemes.
"With this money, farmers are empowered to solve their problems through local decentralised action. We are also providing free seeds, setting up processing units and providing marketing support."Sangma said that Meghalaya won the 'United Nations 4 World Summit' on the Information Society Award in Switzerland for digital innovations in governance.
"It was a moment of great pride for me when I received the award personally."Meghalaya also ranked as the top performer alongside Gujarat and Karnataka in the National Startup Rankings for 2021. This means that amongst the smaller states, Meghalaya provides the best ecosystem for building businesses. We have performed well in the NITI Aayog's innovation index, he said.
According to Sangma, multilateral Donors like the World Bank and Asian Development Bank and organizations like the IKEA foundation and Amazon India are partnering with and investing in the State and its entrepreneurs. "This is the new Meghalaya. A Meghalaya of pride, hope, ambition, and opportunities. A Meghalaya where the citizens have faith and trust in the government and a Meghalaya which is confident."
Claiming that Meghalaya is implementing India's largest piggery mission, the Chief Minister said that in the state there is an annual production-consumption gap of approximately 10,000 tonnes of pork valued at Rs 300 crore. The piggery mission would bridge the gap of production consumption and provide increased nutritional security and better incomes for our farmers.
On the occasion of Independence Day, a mega cultural function was held in Meghalaya Raj Bhavan, where Governor Satya Pal Malik and the Chief Minister among others attended. The day was also celebrated across the hill state through numerous functions and performances.(IANS)
