Chief Minister Pema Khandu meets Arun Jaitley
New Delhi-
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has assured Government of India that the state Government is fully committed to implement financial inclusion and Direct Benefit Transfer in letter and spirit. He said this during his meeting with the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley here in New Delhi today. Khandu while citing that limited banking service in the state is a big challenge, he sought GoI’s support by means of a special program of banking the unbanked in the state.
The CM further assured full support of the State Government in the implementation of GST, which he said is a path breaking initiative taken by Govt. of India. He reiterated that the support shown by the Union Govt in building connectivity in the state would go a long way in successful rollout of GST.
While appraising Jaitley on State Finances, Khandu said “our Government has inherited a very difficult financial scenario due to lots of reasons. A ballooning past liability has been drastically reduced by my government by taking many hard measures. You will appreciate that this has however impacted development in important socio and economic sectors”. He was referring to macro issues pertaining to State Finances, health, education and Infrastructure.
CM revealed that Arunachal Pradesh has suffered the most on account of delinking of certain CSS with an overall liability of Rs 936.66 Crore. Some very important infrastructural projects like multipurpose Sports stadiums, District Secretariats, Cement Concrete Roads, and Convention Centre remain incomplete as a consequence. Even in the Urban Development Ministry, the liabilities of Delinked Schemes have put a very heavy financial burden on the state.
While lauding the Union Govt for planning a whopping Rs 4,387.44 Crore project for upgrading the infrastructural facilities in all the villages situated in the border areas between 0-50 Km from the international border which is in advanced stage of consultation with all the nodal ministries of Govt. of India, Khandu requested Union Minister to pay special attention towards Arunachal considering its historical & strategic importance.
He also submitted the issue of Hill Transport Subsidy that has been plaguing the State for a long time. The FCI and the GOI has not been reimbursing the subsidy since last many years for something as essential as the PDS supply.
After giving a patient hearing, Jaitley assured all out support to the state. CM was accompanied by Dy CM Chowna Mein during the call on.
