Deputy CM Chowna Mein asks for State-specific requirements in Budget

Our Correspondent

Itanagar: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has pleaded the Centre to incorporate specific requirements of the land-locked state in the Union Budget 2020.

Mein, who also holds the finance portfolio, while attending the pre-budget consultation meeting at New Delhi chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday, highlighted on the financial inclusion, development of border areas, share of central taxes, disaster, high cost, externally aided projects besides dwelling on other relevant issues of the state, a press release informed here on Thursday.

On the development of border areas, Mein said that since the state is of great strategic importance which shares international borders with China and Myanmar, the border areas need rapid development and connectivity has to be improved to stop the migration of indigenous people from border areas and also to check against the foreign misadventure in the state.

The Deputy Chief Minister called for the early release of the special package for the development of Indo-China border areas in the State.

While raising concern on the wide gap created between the recommendation of the 14th Finance Commission and actual realization of the share of Central taxes, Mein said that this would eventually lead to a huge infrastructural gap thereby adversely affecting the momentum of the state’s development process.

Informing that there are still 805 unbanked villages and 37 unbanked blocks out of 114 blocks which need to be brought under the banking services, Mein laid emphasis for covering all the beneficiaries through social security schemes, restoring good connectivity throughout the state for delivering services and opening new bank branches to solve the financial need of the people.

He also deliberated for increasing the priority sector lending needs of the state to benefit the needy people and generate employment in the State.

Mein also called for providing necessary infrastructures and manpower for opening up more customer service point’s outlets in the rural areas.

On disaster, Mein said that due to relentless monsoons, state witnesses’ annual devastation, the currents norms of SDRF/NDRF guidelines are too meager for the state to restore the damaged infrastructures.

He informed that current allocation to the state under disaster relief operations does not have any specific bias and requested the finance ministry for allocation of resources based upon critically and vulnerability of the areas.

He also impressed upon the ministry for giving due weight to Cost Disability Index while allocating resources among the states. He said that due to the inadequacy of resources coupled with high cost per unit of development, have been important factors for the backwardness of the state, the release added.

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