Tributes paid to late minister Noksam Boham
Winter assembly session
Staff Reporter
ITANAGAR, Jan 7: The third session of the 7th Arunachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly got underway here on 7 January with Governor BD Mishra stating that the state government aims to achieve a large number of its developmental targets by 2024.
Apart from enumerating the achievements of the state government in recent times, the governor shared the government’s vision of facilitating “equitable progress for all.”
Noting the huge backlog in road communication infrastructure, Mishra informed that the state government has starting working with the Chief Minister Comprehensive State Road Plan 2019-2024.
The plan aims to ‘improve 150 kms of capital complex road’; to upgrade important interstate and inter-district roads and all arterial roads in the district headquarters; and to connect ADC and CO headquarters with all-weather roads by 2024, besides covering 204 unconnected rural habitations (3500 kms length) in 2020 itself.
The governor stressed on the strategic importance of the border areas and the need look into the requirements of those living in such areas. He informed that the government is working on the 157-km strategic Miao-Vijaynagar road project in Changlang district, in association with the Border Roads Organisation.
“This road with several bridges will be the longest road in the country under the PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana),” he said.
In the power sector, Mishra informed that the cabinet committee on economic affairs has approved expenditure of Rs 28,080 crore for pre-investment activities and various clearances for the 2,880 mw Dibang Multipurpose Project.
“The project will be completed in nine years. On completion, the state government will get 12 percent free power, besides other industrial and commercial externalities, which will enhance the state’s revenue by about Rs 26,785 crore over
the project life of 40 years,” he said, and gave assurance that the government will involve all stakeholders and “take care of the dislocation of people, if any, and environmental degradation before the start of the project work.”
The 24 mw Dikshi hydroelectric power project (for commercial operation), the 2×500 kw Nura-Nang Ph-II, the 2×50 kw Khinmey Gompa and the 2×1500 kw Sumbung hydroelectric stations have also been commissioned, Mishra informed.
He also announced that “the state has achieved 100 percent household electrification under the Saubhagya Scheme and the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gramin Jyoti Yojana,” and added that the government is making efforts to provide drinking water to every household in the state by 2024.
Highlighting the achievements in the health sector, such as the Chief Minister’s Arogya Arunachal Yojana, the governor informed that 91 more health & wellness centres, in addition to the existing 98 centres in the state, will be made operational by March 2020.
In the agriculture and allied sectors, Mishra informed that the state government has increased the funding of the Chief Minister’s Sashakt Kisan Yojana to Rs 95 crore, “with specific focus on cash crops,” and launched the ‘Arun pig development scheme’ and the Mukhya Mantri Neel Kranti Abhiyan with an outlay of Rs 20 crore each.
Emphasizing the need to provide quality education to all, the governor said the state government has adopted the Chief Minister’s Adhunik Pathsala Yojana and has approved the Arunachal Pradesh Teachers Transfer & Posting Policy, 2020, to ensure need-based, equitable and transparent positioning of approximately 16,594 regular teachers in the state.
“The government has planned to provide uninterrupted power supply, through installation of rooftop solar panels, to all the secondary and higher secondary schools in the state,” he said.
The state government has also enhanced the old-age pension, the widow pension, and the disability pension. “It has also provided an additional honorarium of Rs 2,000 per month, in addition to the central share of honorarium, to about 6,225 anganwadi workers and helpers,” he said.
In the tourism sector, the state government plans to tie up with Airbnb, Make My Trip, and other organisations for registering homestays on their platforms.
The government is taking up development and beautification programmes for Indira Gandhi Park and Gekar Sinyi (Ganga Lake), and has also requested the Centre to help in expediting the finalization of the Parshuram Kund project, the governor said.
“Noting the potential for industrial growth of the state, the state government has approved the Arunachal Pradesh State Industrial & Investment Policy, 2020. We will set up a single-window system to facilitate all clearances, approvals, licences and permissions for setting up industrial ventures,” he said.
The Chief Minister’s Rural Housing Scheme has also been introduced, which will provide a ‘top-up’ of Rs 50,000 to each house being constructed under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (Gramin), Mishra said.
He said that in order to ensure transparency and accountability in governance, the state government has made the Lokayukta functional from this year, and is also going to constitute the state human rights commission.
“For bringing sustainable development in the mining potential areas,” he said, “a district mineral foundation has been established in all our districts to ensure effective implementation of the provisions incorporated in the Pradhan Mantri Kalyan Yojana, in addition to handing over petroleum exploration licences to Oil India Limited for oil exploration and production in seven new blocks in the state.”
The governor said “a substantial part of royalty” is received through such projects.
The Bordumsa administration, in Changlang district, got a special mention in the governor’s address for taking up the innovative initiative to install a plastic shredding unit for constructing the road in Bordumsa town, using shredded plastic mixed with bitumen.
The assembly also paid tributes to former forest minister Noksong Boham, who passed away on 1 December, 2019, at his native village in Longding district after battling cancer. The house observed a two-minute silence as a mark of respect.
Boham, who held the portfolios for industries, panchayat, IFCD and telecommunication, had been first elected unopposed as a Janata Party MLA to the state’s then 30-member house on 25 February, 1978, from the erstwhile Niausa-Kanubari assembly constituency.
Speaker PD Sona led the house in paying homage to Boham, who was the first-generation literate leader from the Wancho community.
Born on 1 September, 1948, in Banfera village, Boham is survived by his wife, six daughters and a son.
Later, Home Minister Bamang Felix presented the second business advisory committee report, which was adopted by the house.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein introduced the Arunachal Pradesh Goods & Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Legislators Zingnu Namchoom, Lombo Tayeng, Nyamar Karbak, and Biyuram Waghe were announced as the panel of chairmen by the speaker.
