Digital connectivity for Arunachal held up due to litigation issues: Khandu

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday said that Centre had sanctioned Rs 1,700 crore for digital connectivity in the state but the work has been held up due to litigation issues. Launching the third leg of Arunachal Rising campaign at Nari in Lower Siang district, Khandu said the matter has been taken up with the Centre to resolve the matter with urgency, an official release said.

"The Centre has assured to take up the matter immediately," he said. The chief minister said that in the past even many elected officials did not know about the important Central schemes and much such information was holed up somewhere.

"Places such as Tirap, Longding and Changlang districts saw deprivation of Central schemes with such schemes being implemented only in few pockets in the state. However, the situation is different today with Central schemes being implemented evenly across the state irrespective of the constituencies ruled by ruling or opposition party," he said. "To make development inclusive and to fight the past deprivation, the state government has emphasised that central schemes be implemented on a need basis and not on the basis of pick and chose," the chief minister said.

He appreciated the district administration for carrying out 15 Sarkar Aapke Dwar camps in the district and reaching out to more than 44,000 beneficiaries. He said the administration has done the commendable job despite the shortage of officers and staffs due to the district being newly created.

Khandu assured the people that within this year he would lay a foundation for new district secretariat and all infrastructure works for setting up of district headquarters would be taken up. He also said the issue over the location of district headquarters would be resolved in the coming days.

(With inputs from agencies.)