Meghalaya aims for Rs 10 billion economy by 2028, says Governor Vijayshankar

Shillong, March 1: Governor CH Vijayashankar today said that Meghalaya is on its way to become a 10-billion-dollar economy by 2028.

The Governor, delivering his maiden address on the first day of the State's Budget Session from a wheelchair, 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."

He said the Government is trying to meet the aspirations of the people by seamlessly blending traditional knowledge with modern innovations to achieve scale and impact.

"We have made significant advances in the past year," the Governor said. He said improvement of roads, power, water supply, health care, education, livelihood generation, social security, and citizen-centric governance will ensure the holistic welfare of every citizen.

In the health sector, the Government is offering essential services such as transportation, accommodation, and medical care to the public. "About 1.35 lakh pregnant women have availed transportation services. Over 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," Vijayashankar said.

As a result of these interventions, the State recorded a 49 per cent reduction in maternal deaths and a 32 per cent decline in infant mortality in 2024 compared to 2020, he said.

Stressing the importance of the road sector, the Governor said that the Shillong-Dawki Highway and Tura-Dalu road projects and the Shillong Western bypass are progressing well.

"The Ministry of Finance has sanctioned an amount of Rs 2,460 crore for improvement of road connectivity and building growth centres in the state under the Meghalaya Economic Growth Corridor (MEGA) project," he stated.

On the erratic power supply in the State, the Governor said: "It is expected that in 2025, the state will remain free from scheduled load shedding," Vijayshankar added.

Touching on the agro sector, Vijayashankar said the Government is prioritizing farm-to-table interventions in high-value crops like turmeric, ginger, oranges, pineapple, herbs, spices and honey in mission mode, benefitting more than 43,000 farmers and covering almost 11,000 hectares of land.

During last year, the over-all law-and-order situation in the State remained peaceful and the three new criminal laws Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam enforced, he stated.