MUNYONYO, Sep 27: Arunachal Legislative Assembly Speaker PD Sona suggested developing comprehensive policies that assure access to necessary public services by the people belonging to the rural areas, in order to mitigate the problems of rapid urbanization.
He said this while taking part in a workshop on ‘Combating rapid urbanization and rural decline’, conducted here in Uganda on Friday as part of the ongoing 64th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference.
“If we really want to bring an end to the movement of our rural masses, we should bring development to their doorsteps. Once development comes in, there will be job opportunities. It will improve the socioeconomic condition of our rural masses, and perhaps lower the tendency of movement from rural to urban areas,” Sona said.
Referring to the issue of such migration in Arunachal, India and the Commonwealth countries in general, he expressed grave concern.
“Due to the absence of big, medium or small industries, and due to social and economic pressures, people from backward areas start moving towards urbanized centres in search of jobs, where newly-established industries and ancillary activities continuously offer job opportunities to the people migrating to the cities,” he said.
Sona also underlined the need to set up small, medium and big industries.
“Sufficient numbers of schools, colleges, engineering colleges, hotel management institutes, skill and vocational development institutes, hospitals with modern facilities, rail network, road network, airways, etc, should be given due importance, and tourism, being one of the highest revenue-earning sectors, should be encouraged in a greater way,” he said. (PRO)
