Shillong: Senior Congress leader and The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC MDC), Ronnie V Lyngdoh asked the state government on Tuesday, to not depend on the Central government for funds all the time but to focus on sector, including tourism, which can create huge revenues.
Leader Lyngdoh had said that it a tiny state like Goa can generate huge revenues from the tourism sector, there is no reason why Meghalaya cannot.
"We cannot depend on the Centre all the time. The state has huge potentials in the tourism sector to generate revenues. We need a whole-hearted effort and proper policy, We also need to engage people as stakeholders," he added.
Earlier, he had slammed the state government for allegedly ignoring the problem of growing unemployment. He had expressed his remorse because the government was not creating enough employment opportunities for the youth of the state.
He further added, "If Meghalaya can generate sufficient revenues, it will not need to approach the Centre for funds all the time. With its own resources, the state can build roads, hospitals and other infrastructure."
He also recalls that the previous government had come up with the idea of setting up engineering colleges in the state but it was not materialised by the present government.
He further points out that the previous government had also tackled the homegrown insurgency by creating SF-10 which had led to the elimination of the problem and generation of employment for 2,000 youth.
The Congress leaders had asked if the government is planning to address the problem of unemployment at the earliest.
Meanwhile, the Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma had requested the central government to release the state's share from central taxes to bail out his government of the financial crisis that it is currently facing.
The state is hugely dependent on central taxes and its delay in the release of the share has further worsened the financial situation.