Khandu seeks financial assistance for development of social sector

NEW DELHI, Jun 18: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu, accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and Arunachal East MP Tapir Gao, called on union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman here on Tuesday.
The CM apprised the union minister of the financial status of the state, and sought assistance to develop the health and education infrastructure in Arunachal.
He sought assistance for upgrading and developing the Tomo Riba Institute of Health & Medical Sciences, including making the tertiary care cancer treatment centre of the institute operational.
Khandu also requested for assistance in establishing an Ayurveda medical college and a pharmacy college, besides fund for establishing an AIIMS-like autonomous institute in the state.
On the education sector, the chief minister sought assistance in meeting the infrastructure gap, and informed Sitharaman that the central government’s schemes on education have helped the state “only to a certain extent.”
Seeking special financial assistance, Khandu said the “piecemeal approach to upgrading infrastructure has not helped much,” and called for “transformational intervention and not an incremental one.”
Besides the education and health sectors, the CM sought the minister’s intervention “for a massive development thrust, especially in the insurgency affected areas of Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts, and for development of the areas along the Sino-India border.”
He also sought “maximum funding” for the construction of the greenfield airport in Hollongi, stating that Arunachal is the only state in India which does not have an airport in its capital.
Further, in order to “foster economic resilience and to make financial services available at affordable costs to all individuals and businesses in the state,” the CM sought assistance for financial inclusion to benefit farmers, unemployed youths, senior citizens and needy people of the state. (CMO)