Shillong, Oct 17 (IANS): The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) is not an indicator of a developed state, said Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar, on his maiden visit to Shillong on Wednesday.
He visited IT Park at Mawdiangdiang and was accompanied by Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma.
Speaking during the occasion, the Vice President said that a developed state is a serious business and GDP growth is not an indicator of it.
“Developed status has certain elements and they take time and Meghalaya under the leadership of Conrad K Sangma with the 10 guarantees is aimed at making Meghalaya a developed state,” he said.
He further stated that a rational approach taking into consideration the availability of resources and the capacity of human resources is important while aspiring to be a developed state.
The Vice President also added that in developmental growth, certain things have to grow on their own like roads, connectivity etc but a futuristic outlook in creating those infrastructures also needs to be kept in mind.
He also expressed happiness that while aspiring to be a developed state the focus is on fundamentals like education, health, technology, skill development, farming, sports and music etc.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that Meghalaya has embarked upon a mission to push growth and development.
He mentioned that the state government has identified key areas to achieve the target of Developed Meghalaya by 2032 when the state celebrates 60 years of its formation.
Sangma told the Vice President that the “Meghalaya model of development” is laid on the foundation of four pillars – creating aspirations, collaborating with communities and stakeholders, capacity building and forging partnerships.
Citing the challenges of 7000 villages in the state, which are geographically remote, rural and hilly, the Chief Minister said, “We have identified the concerns and the problems of the state and have rolled out programmes to benefit the youth, women and the farmers. We are moving forward to propel the economic agenda of the state.”
He said that the GSDP of the state was far below the national average prior to 2020-21, but post-2021-22 the state has seen 15 per cent growth, with an increase in investment in different social sectors, own tax collection going up, absorption of central taxes, and funding from the 15th Finance Commission including investment made through Externally Aided Projects (EAPs).
Sangma also said that the size of the state budget has increased from roughly Rs. 12,000 crore to 25,000 crore currently. He further said that the capital expenditure has increased by 2.75 times, amongst other initiatives taken by the government to accelerate growth.