Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Oct 12: The newly appointed Governor of Meghalaya, Ganga Prasad, currently on a visit to the national capital, called on Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh and exchanged inputs about various aspects of the political and administrative scenario in the State.
Dr Jitendra Singh informed the Governor that the Ministry of Northeast/DoNER has decided to fund the upgradation of air strip at Shillong Airport. He said, it is an irony that Shillong which was the original capital of erstwhile Assam and also the capital during the British Raj, did not have a fully equipped, adequate airport even after so many years of independence. This, he said, has not only adversely affected the connectivity but also hampered the tourist flow and business investment in the region.
The North Eastern Council (NEC), Dr Jitendra Singh said, which was set up in the early 1970s, long before an exclusive Ministry of Northeast was established, also has its headquarters in Shillong, but unfortunately, the huge magnificent complex had never been adequately utilized. He said, the Ministry had now started an extensive exercise to reorient and rejuvenate the NEC in a new format so that it could perform the effective role of an important resource cum research centre for the entire region and could be developed as the hub of innovation for the upliftment of entire Northeast. A proposal in this regard, he said, has already been circulated and is presently in the active consideration of the Govt of India.
In the last three years, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the commercial helicopter services are also being reinforced and the tourism, including home tourism, has also picked up in a big way.
With the election to State Assembly scheduled to be held the next year, Dr Jitendra Singh also shared with Governor, some of the inputs regarding the current political scenario.
The Governor offered his observations and views on a number of social and political issues which he had observed since he moved into the Raj Bhawan recently. He said, he will endeavor to ensure that the State Government and the Centre work in closer coordination to ensure that Meghalaya does not lag behind compared to any other State of India.
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