1. Mizoram government plans to increase crop production
Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga said on Saturday that a plan to increase crop production has been taken up by his government.
“The government has stepped up the entrepreneurship development programme. The government and people have to work collectively to take the state forward and to reach newer heights,” the Chief Minister said after hoisting the national flag at the Assam Rifles ground of the city as part of the 74th Independence Day celebrations.
Zoramthanga paid tributes to the freedom fighters and called upon the new generation to show reverence for the supreme sacrifice of the martyrs.
The Chief Minister also mentioned the unprecedented challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and appealed to all to follow the precautionary measures and adhere to the government advisories.
Highlighting the progress made in several sectors, he said that plans were also being implemented to augment the production of crops, fruits, milk, vegetables and other essentials.
2. Meghalaya has set up task force to revive economy
On the occasion of the 74th Independence Day on Saturday, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said that a “Task Force” on the economy has been formed to suggest reforms for rejuvenating the economy in the short, medium and long-term. Based on the recommendations, the state government will launch the “Restart Meghalaya Mission”.
Hoisting the Tricolour at the Polo Ground in Shillong, the Chief Minister said the proposed “Meghalaya Mission” is a series of programmes to support farmers, entrepreneurs and others working in different fields and sectors. “An amount of Rs 14,515 crore would be spent over the next three years for the mission and of the amount, Rs 7,839 crore was earmarked for the current fiscal (2020-21),” he added.
Sangma said that the state government has been implementing various schemes and projects which include the National Rural Livelihood Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. The state government, he added, is also pushing the “Jal Jeevan Mission” and aiming to provide functional tap connections to 5,89,000 households in the state by 2022.
During his Independence Day speech, the Chief Minister congratulated health and various other frontline workers for their efforts to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said that Meghalaya is among the least Covid-19 impacted states in the country in terms of the number of cases per million. According to him, the mountainous state with 12 testing centres has accelerated the daily testing capacity to 1,000 in the RT-PCR mode.
Sangma highlighted the various steps taken by his government to curb the spread of the coronavirus that include formation of the village management committees to contain the intensity of Covid-19.
During the Independence Day celebrations, the Chief Minister felicitated 71 health workers by giving them citations in recognition of their service to the state in containing the virus.
3. Arunachal CM launches entrepreneurship plan to boost economy
Unfurling the national flag on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday launched the “Arunachal Pradesh Challenge Entrepreneurship Programme” to boost entrepreneurship among the people and to set up more industrial units in the state.
Khandu said the state government’s scheme “Chief Minister Comprehensive Roads Plan 2019 to 2024” would strengthen and broaden the road infrastructure in the state.
Addressing a small gathering on Independence Day at IG Park in Itanagar, the Chief Minister said the state is taking appropriate steps to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. Arunahcal was among the first few states in the country to follow the mandatory institutional quarantine and do the RT-PCR test on all the people who returned to the state from different parts of the country, he added.
Arunachal Pradesh, he said, has the lowest Covid positivity rate among all the eight north-eastern states and ranked in the top six in the country in terms of tests per million population. Later, Khandu also flagged off 10 Advanced Life-Saving Ambulances.
4. Tripura to be NE’s logistics hub
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb on Saturday said with the improvement in rail, road, air and waterway connectivity, Tripura would be the logistics hub of the north-eastern states.
Three projects are now underway to link Tripura with Bangladesh through rail, road and waterways, he added. After the completion of these projects, Tripura and the neighbouring north-eastern states would be connected with other parts of India and the world via Bangladesh.
Hoisting the national flag at the famous Assam Rifles ground in Agartala on the occasion of Independence Day, the Chief Minister said Tripura’s capital Agartala topped the Smart City rankings among 10 cities of the eight north-eastern states.
“According to the Smart City rankings released by the Centre, Agartala was at the 56th place — up from the 74th position — among 100 smart cities in India.”
Deb said Tripura is the only state in the country that had recently conducted a statewide survey under which over 12,000 health workers visited all the nine lakh households to detect Covid-19 patients.
The Chief Minister said to provide employment to thousands of people and to earn revenue, the Tripura government has undertaken ambitious projects and schemes.
Deb, who also holds the Home and Health portfolios, said due to the rigorous efforts of the state government, crime has declined by 32 per cent and crimes against women dropped by 40 per cent.
Deb said 34,000 Reang tribal refugees, who fled from neighbouring Mizoram, would be rehabilitated in Tripura and for that the Central government has announced a Rs 600-crore package.
Deb announced social pension for more than 30,000 people in addition to the 3.93 lakh people currently receiving the pension under various Central and state government schemes. He claimed that the per capita income and GDP have increased substantially.
Independence Day celebrations in Tripura were a low-key affair this year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
5. Assam government committed to implementing 1985 accord
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said that his government will not make any compromise in the complete implementation of the Assam accord.
Unfurling the national flag at the Judges Field in Guwahati on the occasion of the 74th Independence Day, he said that the state government is committed to implementing the provisions of the 1985 Assam accord and would also protect the interests of the people of Assam.
“To check infiltration from across the border, the central government has taken various steps including composite fencing of the India-Bangladesh border along Assam. Riverine borders with Bangladesh were also sealed with the implementation of the “Smart Fence” scheme by adopting modern technology.”
“The high-level committee on Clause 6 of the Assam accord has submitted its report and despite problems faced due to Covid-19 and other disasters like floods, the state government and the Centre have taken steps to make sure of its implementation,” he said.
Sonowal said that his government has formulated a new land policy and taken steps to provide land deeds to nearly one lakh landless people.
To ensure its preservation and to popularise the Assamese language, a law has been enacted to include Assamese in all school curriculums in the state except in the Bodo Territorial Area and Barak Valley, both dominated by non-Assamese people.
Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, Assam farmers have exported various crops including fruits worth Rs 852 crore to various states in the country and abroad.
The Chief Minister announced a slew of measures and schemes especially targeting the agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry and food processing sectors. He announced the setting up of rice clusters in Dhemaji and Baksa districts, opening of rice procurement centres in all districts, a centre of excellence for organic agriculture at Biswanath district and cold storage chains in all districts.
“Besides Covid-19, Assam this year has faced floods, landslides, Japanese encephalitis, African swine fever as well as the blow out and fire at a natural gas well in Baghjan (in Tinsukia district). My condolences to the families of those killed in these disasters,” Sonowal stated.
After a gap of 12 years, the Independence Day celebrations were held this year at the Judges’ Field in Guwahati. Since 1947, the event was being held at this ground till 2008 when the state government decided to keep the venue exclusively for sporting events.
The venue was first shifted to the nearby Latasil Field and later to the playground of the College of Veterinary Sciences at Khanapara. But since the Khanapara field has now been taken over for a Covid care centre, Judges’ Field was chosen as the venue this year for celebrating Independence Day.
