Meghalaya Budget: Here's All You Need to Know

Shillong, March 19, 2020:

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday tabled a budget amounting to 17,375 crore for the 2020-21 fiscal with focus on - education, health, agriculture, infrastructure, entrepreneurship and several other areas.

Here’s all you need to know about the Meghalaya budget for this Financial Year –

1. NGT committee has approved on a pilot basis auction of 2 lakh metric tons of coal out of the 32 lakh metric tons. Break-up of the auction from different districts of the State are - East Jaintia Hills - 75,000 MT, West Khasi Hills - 50,000 MT, South West Khasi Hills - 25,000 MT and South Garo Hills - 50,000 MT.
2. For 2020-21, ₹ 2,377 crore and ₹690 crore have been estimated for tax and non-tax

   revenue collection respectively.

3. Development budget increased from State’s resources to ₹ 3,300 crore for 2020-21, a 45% increase over the previous financial year and the largest in the history of

   the Meghalaya.

4. Combining the State and Central resources, the total development budget for 2020-21 is estimated at ₹ 8,616 crore.
5. Meghalaya's 5,896 Anganwadi centres will be allocated ₹ 10 crore for the mission for promotion of Early Childhood Education from State’s resources.
6. ₹ 40 crore from State’s resources to bridge the infrastructure gaps in 264 schools across

   Meghalaya

7. 13 Eklavya Model Residential Schools are being set up in different blocks of the State with better infrastructure facilities with a capital cost of ₹ 312 crore through support from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs
8. People’s Colleges to be set up by converting nine grants-in-aid and private colleges into community managed institutions of higher education.
9. Three new Polytechnics to be set up in Ri Bhoi, West Khasi Hills and South Garo Hills districts
10. ₹ 10 crore allotted for creation of 100 smart classrooms in the next financial year
11. ₹ 1,050 crore allotted for flagship programs in the Education sector like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan and Mid Day Meal
12. Meghalaya's MOTHER program, aimed at better health for the new mothers, will get ₹ 2.5 crore
13. Megha Health Insurance Scheme's Phase IV to be implemented in convergence with Ayushman Bharat - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana and providing enhanced insurance coverage of upto ₹ 5 lakh per family with no restrictions on family size and age.
14. Baghmara Civil Hospital, Special Newborn Unit at Ganesh Das Maternity and Child Hospital in Shillong and up-gradation of Mawkyrwat Community Health Centre to 100-bedded hospital.
15. Extension and completion of isolation ward at Tura Civil Hospital, construction of Sub-Centre at Langpih and commissioning of the Cancer Hospital at Shillong.
16. ₹ 50 crore allotted for health infrastructure development in rural areas, including construction of PHCs, CHCs, Sub-centres and for development of a comprehensive health MIS.
17. Year 2020 declared as the ‘year of the farmer.’ Government aims to increase the area for Lakadong turmeric to 6,070 hectares from the present 2,577 hectares. The State has been recently selected for making a Turmeric Export Zone in the West Jaintia Hills District.
18. Jackfruit Mission implemented with a total project cost of ₹ 67 crore
19. Additional ₹ 10 crore allotted for Lakadong and Jackfruit mission
20. Megh Aroma Mission or plantation of aromatic crops gets 5 crore for proper functioning of the four distillation units for processing of aromatic oils in Ri Bhoi, East Jaintia Hills, West Khasi Hills and South West Garo Hills
21. Meghalaya Farmers Mobilization Project, with a cost of ₹ 512 crore over a five-year

    period to be implemented

22. Cluster-based, Farmer Owned, Farmer Operated markets to be set up in all the districts with ₹ 20 crore
23. ₹ 24 crore allotted for the food processing sector for 2020-21.
24. Integrated Beekeeping Development Center is being set up with a cost of ₹ 10 crore in North Garo Hills.
25. ₹ 22 crore for Animal Husbandry and Dairy
26. Meghalaya Milk Mission gets ₹ 220 crore from the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC)
27. Meghalaya Piggery Mission gets ₹ 220 crore
28. ₹ 51 crore for fisheries
29. ₹ 540 crore for the Agriculture and the Allied sectors including ₹ 241 crore from the State’s resources
30. ₹ 400 crore for 2020-21 for the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) program
31. ₹ 220 crore for the Meghalaya Integrated Transport Project
32. ₹ 1,084 crore for systematic periodic maintenance of roads
33. Water Supply to get ₹ 193 crore from the previous allocation of ₹ 135 crore.
34. Installation of solar panels in various Government buildings across the State at an approved cost of ₹ 15 crore
35. ₹ 56 crore is being proposed for the Transport sector in 2020-21
36. ₹ 199 crore for the Urban Development Sector
37. Development budget of ₹ 2,043 crore for the Infrastructure Sector, including ₹ 839 crore from the State’s resources.
38. ₹ 10 crore for the PRIME program and another ₹ 10 crore for strengthening the Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship
39. ₹ 105 crore for National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in 2020-21
40. ₹ 109 crore for PMAY-G and ₹ 20 crore for the Chief Minister’s Affordable Housing Scheme

Apart from the above, the Chief Minister also informed that this fiscal, the State will focus on building sustainable rural livelihoods, social security and welfare, tourism, arts & culture, youth skill development and sports, and improving the overall governance.

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