Shillong, Feb 23 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday said that 92 villages in the state have been selected under the Vibrant Village Programme-II, even as the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is yet to notify the dates for the scheme implementation.
Replying to a question in the Assembly, CM Sangma said that the programme will be implemented till 2028-29 and will be overseen by the state’s Border Areas Development (BAD) department.
He explained that the Vibrant Village Programme was introduced after the Centre discontinued the Border Areas Development Programme (BADP) in September 2022.
“The Border Areas Development Programme was discontinued by the Government of India in September 2022, and it was decided that a new programme called the Vibrant Village Programme would be brought in,” the Chief Minister said.
CM Sangma noted that several MLAs had raised concerns over the allocation of funds for border areas following the discontinuation of BADP.
“The MLAs met with me regarding the sanctioning of some amount because of the discontinuation of BADP. I had included some amount, but it is not sufficient as we have to cover both inter-state and international borders,” he said.
He added that the state government would continue to make provisions to address development needs in border areas, cautioning against assessing progress solely on the basis of BADP allocations.
“One cannot judge development of border areas from the amount spent under BADP alone,” CM Sangma said, pointing out that additional funding streams, including Lafarge SPV support, have contributed to development initiatives in areas such as Mawsynram and Shella.
The Chief Minister also flagged concerns over the composition of district-level committees under the Vibrant Village Programme.
He said that as per the Centre’s guidelines, these committees do not include elected MLAs, a matter that the state government has already raised with New Delhi.
“These are areas where the final decision has to be taken at the Central level. I will take up the matter personally,” CM Sangma told the House.
He further informed that the state government has sanctioned Rs 14.99 crore specifically for inter-state border development, reaffirming Meghalaya’s commitment to improving infrastructure and living conditions in its border regions.
–IANS
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