Meghalaya CM says, externally aided project funding in state increased to Rs 12,500 crore in last 5 years

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said funding for externally aided projects in the state has increased to Rs 12,500 crore from Rs 2,500 crore in the last five years, at par with bigger states. 

The chief minister credited this to the strong manpower that can prepare detailed project reports and adhere to the requirements of externally aided projects (EAPs) in a very short period of time. 

"The state's EAP funding demand has increased to Rs 12,500 crore from Rs 2,500 crore in just five years. Meghalaya has come up to the level of larger states in terms of EAP funding requirement due to the fact that there is strong manpower that can prepare detailed project reports and adhere to the requirements of EAPs in a very short period of time," the CM said while addressing an award ceremony on Friday. 

He stressed on the importance of working together as a team and the need to streamline and simplify rules and processes. According to the chief minister, the best way to achieve the goals is through collaborative efforts and stated that in the last five years, he laid down the vision for the state, the capable and collaborative efforts of the administrative staff and functionaries were responsible for a plethora of innovations brought about in various sectors through a decentralised approach. 

NITI Aayog member V K Paul said the official mandate of NITI Aayog includes two elements - promoting cooperative federalism and competitive federalism. He appreciated Meghalaya's initiatives in promoting innovation in the public systems, adding that the country is moving towards strengthening health systems across the country through various national programmes to reach the last mile of the population. 

Paul requested the policy practitioners and administrators to create a paradigm that would enable running hospitals in the public sector using the best systems of administration. The NITI Aayog member appreciated Meghalaya's Village Health Councils (VHCs) and said that it has the ability to transform health in a significant manner. 

He also appreciated the Meghalaya Early Childhood (ECD) Mission. Paul congratulated the Meghalaya government on allotting above eight per cent of its budget expenditure to healthcare and urged other states to learn from the Meghalaya model of addressing healthcare challenges.