Governor addresses Budget session of Arunachal Pradesh Assembly

Arunachal Pradesh Governor Brig (Retd) Dr B D Mishra on Thursday called upon the MLAs to shoulder the responsibility to design plans, enact and adopt provisions so that the state not only mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic but also emerge with strong socio-economic and health achievements.

Addressing the first day of the 12-day Budget session, he said the current session would remain guided by six key result areas underscored by the union budget which includes, health and well-being, physical and financial capital and infrastructure, inclusive development for aspirational India, reinvigorating human capital, innovation and research and development and minimum government and maximum governance.

''Our policies should be for strengthening the philosophy of 'Nation first'. Our focus should be on doubling farmer's income, healthy India, good governance, opportunities for youths, education for all, women empowerment and inclusive development,'' Mishra said in his 50-minute speech.

''We are shifting our stance from expenditure-oriented budgeting to outcome-oriented budgeting. We are dovetailing all central schemes for the benefit of the people of the state,'' the governor added.

He said the government is bringing in professionalism in the system by upgrading the skills of the government workforce thereby improving absorption capacity and increasing the state's resource base.

''This will bring about the decrease in our dependence on Central funding. We are determined to put in place, the conducive policies for ease of working of central government agencies such as power sector companies, Border Roads Organization, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) etc,'' he said.

Mishra said the state government is fully poised to utilize all available resources for the overall socio-economic development of the state and the people.

He said the state government had gone all out to change the COVID-19 challenge into an opportunity to accelerate the pace of development in the state in the past one year.

''It is you, in true 'joy sharing' spirit of Arunachali ethos who helped convert the MLA apartments here into a dedicated Covid hospital. This hospital provided valuable clinical services to hundreds of patients and saved many precious lives,'' he said, adding the government expressed appreciation to you for foregoing your salary and providing one instalment of the MLA Local Area Development Fund to fight the pandemic.

He said, the government has set forth its vision to bring equitable and sustainable development in the state and is working hard to achieve excellence in governance, quality education, better health services, progressive changes in agriculture and allied sectors, employment generation, livelihood activities, ease of doing business, drinking water to all, among others.

''The government is also focusing on providing uninterrupted power supply, good connectivity and communication, promoting tourism, establishing inter-tribe harmony, maintenance of law and order, social partnership, conserving ecological balance and preserving the rich culture and heritage of the tribal societies,'' Mishra added.

The governor informed that the government had provided an assistance of Rs 1,000 per BPL family covering 1.77 lakh families which helped them during the 'Lock Down' days. More than 65,000 families received free LPG cylinder under the Ujjwala scheme.

Under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, the government provided Rs 2,000 to 62,000 farmer families besides additional Rs 1,000 to 68,000 farmer families, he said, adding, an estimated 1.48 lakh women Jan-Dhan account holders received Rs 1,500 in their account from the government and around 42,000 divyangs, widows and senior citizens received Rs 1,000 in their account.

''Scholarships were provided to 20,162 students and 17,918 students were provided with a stipend. Our government provided Rs 3,500 each to more than 17,000 Arunachalees who were stranded outside our state during the lockdown period,'' Mishra said.

The government has initiated major steps to strengthen the health infrastructure and take up a massive Rs 400 crore project to upgrade the health infrastructure in the district hospitals, he said.

''Giving thrust to Prime Minister Narendra Modis 'Heath for all Mission', the government has till date, converted 66 Primary Health Care Centres and 140 Sub Centres as Health and Wellness Centres. In the coming year, the government is committed to convert all our Primary Health care facilities to Health and Wellness Centres,'' he said.

Referring to the education sector, the governor said that despite huge territorial dispersions and the majority of schools being located in the interiors, the government under the Arunachal Pradesh Teachers Transfer and Posting Policy 2020, is putting in all effort to rationalize and provide teachers wherever needed.

''My government has taken a series of initiatives to strengthen the infrastructure of school education. During the next two years, we will be operationalising five new Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS) - one each in Leparada, Tirap, Lower Dibang Valley, Kurung Kumey and Lohit districts.

Another five schools will come up in 3 to 4 years in Itanagar, Naharlagun, Khonsa, East Kameng and West Siang,'' he said.

Eight model residential schools under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) with a total outlay of 284 crores will also come up in the next 3 years in West Kameng, Kra Daadi, Tawang, Lower Dibang Valley, Lower Subansiri, Upper Siang, Kurung Kumey and Pakke Kessang districts, Mishra said.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)