Meghalaya Economy – Page 5 – Meghalaya PCS Free Notes

Meghalaya Tax and economic reforms

October 28, 2017 by rawan239

Meghalaya Goods and Service Tax:

The Meghalaya government introduced in the state assembly, the Meghalaya Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017. GST will abolish all the taxation related disputes between the States and this will make Indian economy more strong. It was the highest tax reforms of state and centre as well.

The Meghalaya government demanded the following amendments —

The GST Council accepted that green arecanut will be tax-free while processed arecanut or ‘supari’ will be taxed at 5 per cent only. So is also the case with dry fish in which the Council has agreed to bring down the tax from 12 per cent to 5 per cent
The other issues Meghalaya government had demanded was the reduction from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10,000 where a purchaser is not required to give his details in the invoice.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a comprehensive indirect tax on manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods and services throughout India. GST would replace respective taxes levied by the central and state governments.

What is GST?

It is a destination-based taxation system.
It has been established by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.
It is an indirect tax for the whole country on the lines of “One Nation One Tax” to make India a unified market.
It is a single tax on supply of Goods and Services in its entire product cycle or life cycle i.e. from manufacturer to the consumer.
It is calculated only in the “Value addition” at any stage of a goods or services.
The final consumer will pay only his part of the tax and not the entire supply chain which was the case earlier.
There is a provision of GST Council to decide upon any matter related to GST whose chairman in the finance minister of India.

What taxes at center and state level are incorporated into the GST?

At the State Level

State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax
Entertainment Tax (Other than the tax levied by the local bodies)
Octroi and Entry Tax
Purchase Tax
Luxury Tax
Taxes on lottery, betting, and gambling

At the Central level

Central Excise Duty
Additional Excise Duty
Service Tax
Additional Customs Duty (Countervailing Duty)
Special Additional Duty of Customs

Benefits of GST

For Central and State Governments

Simple and Easy to administer: Because multiple indirect taxes at the central and state levels are being replaced by a single tax “GST”. Moreover, backed with a robust end to end IT system, it would be easier to administer.
Better control on leakage: Because of better tax compliance, reduction of rent seeking, transparency in taxation due to IT use, an inbuilt mechanism in the design of GST that would incentivize tax compliance by traders.
Higher revenue efficiency: Since the cost of collection will decrease along with an increase in the ease of compliance, it will lead to higher tax revenue.

For the Consumer

The single and transparent tax will provide a lowering of inflation.
Relief in overall tax burden.
Tax democracy that is luxury items will be taxed more and basic goods will be tax-free.

For the Business Class

Ease of doing business will increase due to easy tax compliance.
Uniformity of tax rate and structure, therefore, better future business decision making and investments by the corporates.
Removal of cascading effects of taxes.
Reduction in transactional cost will lead to improved competitiveness.
Gain to the manufacturer and exporters.
It is expected to raise the country GDP by 2% points.

GST Council

It is the 1st Federal Institution of India, as per the Finance minister.
It will approve all decision related to taxation in the country.
It consists of Centre, 29 states, Delhi and Puducherry.
Centre has 1/3rd voting rights and states have 2/3rd voting rights.
Decisions are taken after a majority in the council.

Supporting Laws to implement GST

For the implementation of GST, apart from the Constitution Amendment Act, some other statutes are also necessary. Recently 5 supporting laws to the GST were recommended by the council. 4 for the bills should be passed by the parliament, while the 5th one should be passed by respective state legislatures. The details are given below.

The Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The CGST Bill).
The Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The IGST Bill).
The Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The UTGST Bill).
The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Bill 2017 (The Compensation Bill).
And a state GST will be passed by the respective state legislative assemblies.
Tax slabs are decided as 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, 28% along with categories of exempted and zero rated goods for different types of goods and services.
Further, a cess would be levied on certain goods such as luxury cars, aerated drinks, pan masala and tobacco products, over and above the rate of 28% for payment of compensation to the States.
However, which goods and services fall into which bracket is still an enormous task to be completed by the GST council.
Highest tax slab is pegged at 40%.

DEMONETIZATION AND CASHLESS ECONOMY

What is Demonetization?

It is a financial step where in a currency unit’s status as a legal tender is declared invalid.
This is usually done when old currency notes are to be replaced with the news ones.
The 500 and 1000 rupee notes seized to be a legal tender from 8 November, 2016.

A brief past

Demonetisation was earlier done in 1978 When the government demonetised Rs. 1000, Rs. 5000 and Rs. 10000 notes.
This was done under the High Denomination Bank Note (Demonetisation) Act, 1978.
The difference between 1978 and 2016 Demonetisation is that the currency in circulation (of the higher denomination) is higher in 2016 than was in 1978.
The current demonitization has been done by government under section 26(2) of the Reserve Bank of India Act.

Implications of Demonetization

A parallel black economy would collapse.
Of the Rs 17 lakh crore of total currency in circulation in the country, black money is estimated at mind-boggling Rs 3 lakh crore.
Counterfeit currency: Death blow to the counterfeit Indian currency syndicate operating both inside and outside the country.
On Employment: a large part of the Indian economy is still outside the banking system. So, the cash shortage will hurt the informal sector that does most of its transactions in cash.
On elections: It will reduce the Vote-for-Note politics making elections more clean and transparent.
On Economy:
First, it will bring more borrowings to the exchequer, improve inflation outlook and increase India’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Second, it will revive investment opportunities and give a fillip to infrastructure and the manufacturing sector.
Third, it will help reduce interest rates and lower income tax rate.
Real estate cleansing: An unexpected dip in land and property prices.
On Higher Education: will become more reachable as the black money from ‘high capitation fees’ is discouraged.
On security:
Terror financing: Terror financing is sourced through counterfeit currency and hawala transactions.
Kashmir unrest: The four-month-long unrest in Kashmir valley is on a backburner
North-East insurgency and Maoists: Black money is the oxygen for Maoists collected through donations, levy and extortions. The illicit money is used to purchase arms and ammunition

Economic Reforms:

The basic objective of economic reforms was to improve productivity growth and competitiveness in the Indian manufacturing sector. These reforms were aimed at making Indian manufacturing sector more efficient and technologically up to date, with the expectation that these changes would enable Indian manufacturing sector to achieve higher and sustainable growth. The government started to deregulate the Indian economy with a liberalization programme, focused on the investment pattern, trade policies, the financial sector, taxation and public enterprises.

In recent times, Industrialization has become the catch word of the midtwentieth century and industrial development of the under developed countries or developing countries like India. One of the great world crusades of our times, the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) hope to find in it a solution their problems of poverty, insecurity, overpopulation, backwardness, illiteracy etc. They consider it a panacea for all the evils of their social and economic life. In fact, the essence of economic development of an LDC like India consists essentially in the growth of industrialization.

Realizing the importance of industrialization, once Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru rightly remarked, “Real progress must ultimately depend on industrialization”. His vision was to see India in the group of developed nations of the world and industrialization was the only key to restructure the economy and to achieve sustained growth. Indian economy is a basically an agriculture based economy. It has been evident from the experience of the most of advanced countries that growth based upon agriculture sector will not be sustainable growth.

After studying such behavior of terms of trade they made their belief that for the agriculture based economies terms of trade would always become unfavorable in long run because;

a) The income elasticity of export-goods of agricultural countries is low, while the income elasticity of import-goods is very high. As in case of domestic demand, the demand for agricultural products in other countries, in particular advance countries, is very low. In fact, developed countries have surpluses in agriculture products for exports. As against this, the demand for the import of manufactured goods by LDCs is very intense; and
b) With the advancement of technology, input-output coefficients are declining and most of primary products which were used as raw material are replaced by the industrial cheaper raw material.

On the other hand, if we develop only tertiary sector and ignore industrial sector then there may be tendency of inflation in the economy and this inflation may lead to deceleration economic growth. Therefore, industrialization is the only method to achieve sustained economic growth. Moreover, economic history demonstrates that to eliminate a country’s techno-economic backwardness it is necessary to develop the industrial sector and then to diversify it over a wide range of area and activities. Industrialization is a process of economic organization characterized by rapid setting up of industries and has invariably been the accompaniment of economic development. Nevertheless, economic development should not be treated synonymous with industrialization because industrialization is only a part of the whole process of economic development.

Some of the major initiatives taken by the government to promote Meghalaya as an investment destination are:

Under budget 2016-17, the state government proposed allocation of US$ 1.98 million for various art and cultural programs for the development, augmentation and preservation of cultural heritage of the state.
Under budget 2016-17, the state government proposed an allocation of US$ 103.42 million for development of education sector in the state.
Under the annual budget 2015-16, an investment of US$ 0.29 million has been approved by the Meghalaya State Medicinal Plants Board to increase the production of medicinal plants.
The state government has also proposed an outlay of US$ 32.13 million to improve power supply in the state and associated services, power losses in urban areas, etc., under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme.
An investment of US$ 3.98 million was proposed to be invested for the development of roads and bridges in the state and US$ 54.66 million was proposed for the improvement of the agriculture sector of the state under the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017).
The state is focusing on developing water harvesting and distribution infrastructure to increase the level of mechanisation in the horticulture sector.
Hydroelectric power projects with a total capacity of 687 MW have been proposed to be set up in Meghalaya. All these projects are projected to be operational by 2016-17.
The state government is inviting investments in this area through the PPP mode. Independent power producers (IPPs) are also being invited to develop hydro projects in Meghalaya; this provides immense potential for investment.

Meghalaya Schemes & Projects

October 28, 2017 by rawan239

Meghalaya Schemes & Projects

Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS):

The Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) is being implemented across the state of Meghalaya by the government. The objective of the scheme is to provide financial aid to all the citizens of the state at the time of hospitalization. The policy period of insurance is only one year but it can be renewed by making payment of the insurance premium.

The state government is providing a universal health insurance to all citizens of the State under Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS). All the citizens can enroll in the scheme but they have to pay some nominal amount as the enrollment fee to avail the scheme benefits. This scheme is being implemented through New India Assurance Company Ltd.

The state government under the phase 3 of Megha Health Insurance Scheme has been increased to Rs. 2,80,000 for up to 5 members of the family on floater basis. The maximum one time hospitalization for critical care has also been increased to Rs 250000 from Rs 170000. The enrollment fee for MHIS phase 3 is Rs. 50 Rupees and does not have any age limit. The smart cards issued under the scheme can be used to avail free and cashless treatment at all government hospitals and empaneled private health institutions.

New Shillong Township :

This scheme is aimed at taking up infrastructure development works at New Shillong Township. To accommodate the future population of Shillong, proposal for setting up of a new township designed for 2,00,000 population was conceived by the department. An area of 2030 hectares has been identified to the East of the Shillong city. It is proposed to develop the township as a joint venture involving both Government and Private initiative. Government intervention is restricted to acquiring and developing 500 hectares of land while in the remaining areas only the bulk infrastructure will be laid by the Government. As of date,370.26 hectares of land has already been acquired. Detailed Project Report (D.P.R.) of the different sectors like road, power, water supply, sewerage and drainage etc. has been prepared and ready for implementation.

Environmental Improvement Of Urban Slum (E.I.U.S.) :

The Environmental Improvement of Urban slums scheme which is a part of the 20 Point Programme is being implemented in the Slum areas of Shillong, Tura, Jowai, Baghmara, Williamnagar and Nongstoin. The scheme has played a significant and satisfying role in the improvement of slum areas in the above towns. Basic amenities like drains, footpaths, sanitation facilities, drinking water, water supply etc. have been provided under the scheme. The Scheme is being implemented by the Office of the Executive Engineer, Urban Affairs in the respective towns.

Housing For All (Urban) Mission :

The scheme was launched on 25th June 2015 with an objective to provide rehabilitation of slum dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a source, to promote affordable housing for weaker section through credit linked subsidy, to provide affordable housing in partnership with public and private sectors and to provide subsidy for beneficiary-led individual house construction. 10 statutory towns in the State have been included under the programme which include as follows- Shillong Municpal Board(S.M.B.), Shillong Cantonment Board(C.B.), Shillong Urban Agglomeration Area (only Census Towns excluding S.M.B. area),Tura, Jowai, Baghmara, Williamnagar, Resubelpara, Mairang, Nongstoin ,Nongpoh. Currently Demand Survey is being carried out in all the topwns to assess the housing demand and requirement.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY):

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is a flagship scheme of Narendra Modi government under which skill development training is provided to youth in different verticals. The government is providing skill training in different industry verticals through authorized training centers across the country.

As per 23rd March 2017, there are a total of 2150 PMKVY training centers operating across the country for providing skill training to youth. These training centers are operated by different authorized training partners of PM Kaushal Vikas Yojana

44 Lakh Homes Under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana:

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin targets for 2017 has been revised by the central government after the announcement made by PM Narendra Modi in his 31st December Speech. The government has increased the overall number of housing units to be constructed by 1 Crore under the PMAY-G.

The central government has set a target of building 44 Lakh homes under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Gramin by the end of December 2017. According to the statistics released by Ministry of Rural Development, about 22 Lakh houses have been constructed in rural areas under PMAY-G till 28th January. The ministry will complete the construction of 1 Crore 33 Lakh houses in three years from 2016-17 to 2018-19 which also includes 33 Lakh homes under previous Indira Awas Yojana.

List of Airports Under UDAN Scheme (Udey Desh Ka Aam Nagrik):

UDAN Scheme, the regional air connectivity scheme recently launched by the central government to make the air travel cheaper has started to see the sun of the day. According to industry chamber FICCI, about 44 airports across the country has the potential to execute operations under the scheme.

The list of 44 out of 414 underserved and unserved airports has been prepared based upon geographical, operational and commercial parameters which has potential to be part of regional connectivity scheme UDAN. The report also mentions the list of around 370 potential destinations for the shortlisted airports, including metros, state capitals and important commercial, industrial and tourism centers. Shillong and Tura of Meghalaya is proposed for the Airport under this scheme.

Swachh Bharat Mission :-

This is a newly launched programme of Ministry of Urban Development which was launched on 2nd October 2014 with a target date to achieve all objectives by the 2nd October, 2019. The Mission was also formally launched in the State of Meghalaya on the 2nd October, 2014. 10 statutory towns in the State have been included under the programme which include as follows- Shillong Municpal Board(S.M.B.), Shillong Cantonment Board(C.B.), Shillong Urban Agglomeration Area (only Census Towns excluding S.M.B. area),Tura, Jowai, Baghmara, Williamnagar, Resubelpara, Mairang, Nongstoin ,Nongpoh. The Mission is being implemented by the Municipal Boards in Municipal Towns and the respective Deputy Commissioner in Non-Municipal Towns.

Meghalaya Planned Development

October 28, 2017 by rawan239

Meghalaya Planned Development

Planned Development: Meaning and Necessity

When Independence came, India had a slender industrial base. Millions of her rural people suffered under the weight of a traditional agrarian structure. A long period of economic stagnation, against the background of increasing pressure of population, followed by the burdens of the Second World War, had weakened the Indian economy, so the states. There was widespread poverty. The partition of the country had uprooted millions of people and dislocated economic life. Productivity in agriculture and industry stood at a low level. In relation to needs the available domestic savings were altogether meagre. The promise of freedom could only be redeemed if the economic foundations were greatly strengthened. The Constitution established equal rights of citizenship, and these had now to be expressed through rising levels of living and greater opportunities for the bulk of the people. It was essential to rebuild the rural economy, to lay the foundation of industrial and scientific progress, and to expand education and other social services. These called for planning on a national scale, encompassing all aspects of economic and social life, for efforts to mobilise resources, to determine priorities and goals and to create a widespread outlook of change and technological progress. Thus, planned development was the means for securing with the utmost speed possible, a high rate of growth, reconstructing the institutions of economic and social life and harnessing the energies of the people to the tasks of national development.

To provide the good life to the four hundred million people of India and more is a vast undertaking, and the achievement of this goal is far off. But no lesser goal can be kept in view, because each present step has to be conditioned by the final objective. Behind the plans that are drawn up is the vision of the future, even as the Indian people had a vision of freedom and independence during the long years of their national struggle, and there is faith and confidence in that future. Fully conscious of existing difficulties the people have also the conviction that these difficulties will be overcome. The experience of the last ten years of planning and the large social and economic changes that have already taken place have brought a conviction that India/State can look forward with assurance to sustained economic progress. Even in this ancient land, for so long governed by tradition, the winds of change are blowing and affecting not only the dweller in the city but also the peasant in his field. At each stage, new conflicts and new challenges arise. They have to be met with courage and confidence. There is an excitement in this changing face of India as the drama of India’s development plans unfolds itself.

The more immediate problem is to combat the curse of poverty, with all the ills that it produces, and it is recognised that this can only be done by social and economic advancement, so as to build up a technologically mature society and a social order which offers equal opportunities to all citizens. This involves basic social and economic changes and the replacing of the old traditional order by a dynamic society. It involves not only the acceptance of the temper and application of science and modern technology, but also far-reaching changes in social customs and institutions. To some extent, recognition of this twofold aspect of change has been present in the Indian mind for generations past. Gradually it has taken more concrete shape and has become the basis for planning.

In the Constitution the basic objectives were set forth as “The Directive Principles of State Policy”. Among those ‘Directive Principles’ were those

“The State shall strive to promote the welfare of the people by securing and protecting, as effectively as it may, a social order in which justice, social, economic and political, shall inform all the institutions of national life”.

Further that—

“The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing—

that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means of livelihood;
that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to sub serve the common good;
that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment.”

These general principles were given a more precise direction in December, 1954, when Parliament adopted the ‘socialist pattern of society’ as the objective of social and economic policy. This concept, which embodies the values of socialism and democracy and the approach of planned development, involved no sudden change, and had its roots deep in India’s struggle for freedom.

The leading features of the pattern of development envisaged in the Five Year Plans may be briefly stated. The basic objective is to provide sound foundations for sustained economic growth, for increasing opportunities for gainful employment and improving living standards and working conditions for the masses. In the scheme of development, the first priority necessarily belongs to agriculture; and agricultural production has to be increased to the highest levels feasible. The Five Year Plans provide for a comprehensive and many-sided effort to transform the peasant’s outlook and environment. The growth of agriculture and the development of human resources alike hinge upon the advance made by industry. Not only does industry provide the new tools, but it begins to change the mental outlook of the peasant. There can be no doubt that vast numbers of the peasantry today in India are undergoing this change of outlook as they use new tools and experiment with new methods of agriculture. Even the coming of the bicycle in large numbers to the villages of India is not only a sign of higher standards, but is a symbol of new and changing attitudes. Agriculture and industry must be regarded as integral parts of the same process of development. Through planned development, therefore, the growth of industry has to be speeded and economic progress accelerated. In particular, heavy industries and machine-making industries have to be developed, the public sector expanded and a large and growing cooperative sector built up. The public sector is expected to provide specially for the further development of industries of basic and strategic importance or in the nature of public utility services, other industries being also taken up by Government to the extent necessary. State trading has also to be undertaken on an increasing scale according to the needs of the economy. In brief, in the scheme of development, while making full use of all available agencies, the public sector is expected to grow both absolutely and in comparison and at a faster rate than the private sector.

The meaning of the term Meghalaya refers to ‘abode of clouds’. Meghalaya is one of the seven sister states of India and with Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura, for the north-eastern India. Meghalaya is also known as Meghalaya Plateau.

Listed below are some incredible facts about the fastest growing state, Meghalaya:

Meghalaya was created as an autonomous State by virtue of Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act, 1969 and North East Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971
Meghalaya has rich deposits of limestone, coal, uranium, etc and has an area spread of 22,429 square kilometres
Meghalaya has seen some of the largest downfalls in poverty in India. In Meghalaya, the percentage of population below the poverty line was 17.1 percent in 2009-10 which fell to 11.9 percent in 2011-12
Meghalaya has the second-lowest unemployment rate in India, after Gujarat, with 0.4 percent in rural areas and 2.8 percent in urban areas as per the record of 2011-12
Mawlynnong in Meghalaya is the cleanest village in India
The eight north-eastern states, seven sister states and the eighth being Sikkim, are the fastest growing states in India. According to a research by IndiaSpend, by reducing their dependence on agriculture and allied activities, and increasing the rate of education, the state has been prospering for years

Main Features of budgets of Meghalaya

October 28, 2017 by rawan239

MEGHALAYA BUDGET 2017-18

The year 2016-17 was marked by two major national policy developments. Firstly, the passage of the Constitutional amendment, paving the way for introduction of the transformational Goods and Services Tax (GST), the objective of which is creating a common Indian market, improve tax compliance and governance and boost investment and growth. Secondly, the demonetization of the two highest denomination notes in the country.

During the year 2015 – 16, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at Current Market price was Rs 26,745 crore, as per the quick estimates, which shows an increase of 9.58% over the previous year. The advance estimates indicate that the GSDP for 2016-17 is Rs 29,566 crore, an increase of 10.55 % over 2015-16. The growth of the tertiary sector is registered at 11.93%, the secondary sector at 9.38% and the primary sector at 7.51% over the year 2015-16. The per capita income of the State at current price for the year 2016 – 17 stands at Rs 88,497 as per the advance estimates as against Rs 81,498 in the year 2015-16 showing an increase of about 8.26%.

Several initiatives have been taken up with a view to accelerating growth, providing ecologically sustainable livelihoods and inclusive development, reducing intra – State variations, improving connectivity, bridging infrastructure gaps, promoting human capital development and building skills, tapping emerging opportunities in border trade and market access development etc. I am happy to inform this august House that on several counts, we have been able to make substantial progress as in case of investments in Major District Roads and State Highways, improvement of critical feeders, replacement of semi-timber bridges, internal village connectivity including construction of missing culverts, Black Topping of Rural Roads Schemes (BTRRS), lay bye markets, modernization of rural markets, opening of first ever railhead in Meghalaya, launching of the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme, construction of hostels for rural students, Mission Green, Integrated Water Resource Management, Women Economic Empowerment through Financial Inclusion, etc.

Tax Proposals

Revise excise duty in various segments of Beer, IMFL/Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) and different categories of IMFL products.
Revise the license fee for various categories of bonded warehouses.
Reduce export fee for IMFL products to give a boost to export of IMFL.
Revise the license fee for “OFF” retail licenses and various types of bar licenses.
Revise the fee for compounding and blending, reduction and bottling, distillery and brewery.
Revise upward the VAT on liquor.
Revise the late closing fees for hotels, restaurants and bars.
Increase the rate of tax across all slabs under the Meghalaya Passengers and Goods Tax Act.
Rationalize the tax structure on cigarettes and bidis.

Law and Order:

The staffing strength of police stations and outposts was increased; the first batch of SF-10 battalion, that passed out in October 2016, have been pressed into anti-militancy operations; additional resources in terms of trained personnel, suitable weaponry, effective communication equipments etc. were provided; intelligence collection was strengthened; additional Central Paramilitary Forces were mobilised; a Cyber Crime police station to handle cyber related crimes has been set up; new developmental initiatives with involvement of local communities as stakeholders were undertaken; investments were made on improving the road infrastructure and highway patrols have been introduced in all the highways

Agriculture and Allied Sectors:

Agriculture, being the key to rural prosperity and food security, will continue to play a significant role in the economy of the State. The focus of the Government is on increasing the production and productivity of foodgrains through better cultivation techniques, capacity building and improving water and moisture availability. Latest technical know-how through various schemes such as State Rice Mission (SRM), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and other schemes has been put in place and efforts are on to bring fallow lands under other winter crops to augment the incomes of the farmers. The sector has done the State proud by earning national recognition and the highest accolades as the Best Performing State in the form of the ‘Krishi Karman Awards’ for the last three consecutive years for its initiatives and excellent performance in food grains production in individual crops of rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals.

The ‘Mission Organic’ continues to focus on promoting organic farming, helping the farmers to tap the growing organic market. Continuous efforts are being made to popularize ‘bio-fertilizers, compost making’ and ‘bio-control practices’ for plant health management and these efforts are being scaled up through the establishment of village level community managed bio fertilizers and bio agent production units, in collaboration with IBDLP and MGNREGS.

Fisheries

An investment of Rs 186 crore under the Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission (MSAM) has resulted in the development of 20,338 individual fish ponds, 26 hatcheries, 49 sanctuaries and 3 feed mills in the last 4 years of its implementation.

Sericulture and Weaving

Under the North Eastern Region Textile Promotion Schemes (NERTPS) for both sericulture and handloom sectors, funds to benefit 1,000 sericulture farmers under the Intensive Bivoltine Sericulture Development Project (IBSDP) and 2,300 sericulture farmers for Integrated Sericulture Development Project (ISDP), including 72 handloom clusters, have already been approved. Funds have also been approved for Block Level Clusters under the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).

Soil and Water Conservation:

At present, 84 projects under the Integrated Watershed Management Programmes (IWMP) are being implemented under this approach. The Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme with 42 projects will continue to be implemented in 2017-18 to encourage multi cropping activities and scientific conservation of water resources, with a focus on coordinated land development in river valleys.

Young people registered as Green and Social Volunteers have rallied around the “GRAMODAYA” or “Rise of the Village initiative”, a statewide mega-football event that is the largest grassroots level football tournament with a total of 712 matches across 178 sub-watersheds in all the 11 districts. This initiative seeks to bring together people from all walks of life in rural Meghalaya on to a common platform to celebrate rural life and the spirit of oneness.

Housing:

Under the “Chief Minister’s Housing Assistance Programme”, three bundles of roofing materials will be provided for the Economically Weaker Section and an assistance for dwelling houses will be provided to the Lower Income Group families.

A development outlay of ` 60 crore is proposed for this sector in 2017-18

Urban Development:

The major projects which are likely to be completed soon, are the Multi Purpose Utility Centre at Mawkhar, construction of additional 112 dwelling units at Nongmynsong, Solid Waste Management Project at Tura and Nongpoh, Short Term Scientific landfill Site Work at Marten, Shillong and Solid Waste Management Programme in the Greater Shillong Planning Area covering areas outside the Shillong Municipal jurisdiction.

The major projects in which works are in good progress are Augmentation of Public Transport in Shillong, Construction of Ancillary Infrastructure (Depot) for 240 additional buses at Mawiong and Upper Shillong, Improvement of Road within Mairang Town and Nongpoh Town, Construction of RCC Bridge to connect Gangdrak Dare at Tura, Construction of Road from Shamshan Ghat to Reservegittim at Tura, Road Network Project in New Shillong Township and Construction of Parking Cum- Commercial facility near Inter District Bus Terminus at Akhonggre.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, 10 statutory towns have been selected and beneficiaries have been identified to take up work on construction of individual household toilets, community toilet as well as improvement of solid waste management in the towns. The Government has also initiated works on up-gradation of Shillong under the Smart Cities Mission of Government of India.

Health and Family Welfare:

The Government had proposed to set up two medical colleges, with a view to bridge the shortage of doctors and health functionaries in the State. Setting up of the Medical College in PPP mode at Shillong will commence once the existing T.B Hospital is shifted to the new site at New Shillong Township. The land for another proposed Government Medical College at Tura has been donated by the people and the same will be taken up with the Government of India for funding support. The construction of the Cancer Wing in the Shillong Civil Hospital is in advanced stage and will benefit the cancer patients in the State.

To promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices in public health care facilities and to inculcate a behavior related to clean environment, the State Health Facilities are participating in the KAYAKALP competition and received Awards under the Scheme.

Education:

To help students conquer the challenge of learning science and mathematics at an early age, the Government had initiated the Jodo-Gyan project, which would be rolled out to more districts in 2017-18. The mid day meal will also continue to be served at all primary and upper primary schools to encourage students to stay in school.

The “Supporting Human Capital Development project” has progressed well with infrastructural work progressing at rapid pace. The bidding process for teachers training, ICT classrooms and furniture has also been initiated. A total of 117 aided schools would benefit directly from the project.

Introduction to Meghalaya Economy

October 28, 2017 by rawan239

Introduction to Meghalaya Economy

About Meghalaya:

Meghalaya, the Abode of Clouds, is a state in the Northeast region of India. The state has a total area of 22,429 sq km and about one third of the state is under mountain forest cover. Meghalaya has a total population of 29,66,889, as per the 2011 census. Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya. The state is surrounded by Assam to its north and Bangladesh to its south.

Meghalaya lies in the Northeastern part of India. The fact remains that a major part of the border of the state is situated on the north and eastern part of Assam. The south and west part are with Bangladesh. It is possible to consider Meghalaya as the wettest state in the country, experiencing an annual rainfall of 1,200 cm. There are numerous rivers including Ganol, Umiam, Umngot, Umkhem and Damring. Apart from the aforementioned rivers, you can also find a number of other rivers such as Umiam Mawphlang and Khri.

Economy of Meghalaya

The economy of Meghalaya is predominantly agrarian. About two-third of the total population of the state is engaged in allied and agriculture. Although the majority of the population is involved in agriculture as profession, this sector has very low contribution in the GDP of the state. The climatic conditions of the state encourage the cultivation of variety of horticulture crops which includes vegetables, fruits, spices, flowers etc. The state is rich in natural resources and plenty of minerals such as sillimanite, limestone, coal, granite etc. are available in abundance.

Meghalaya, with an average annual rainfall of 1,150 cm, receives the highest amount of rainfall in the country. The diverse range of soil types, including red-loamy and laterite, support various agricultural crops like rice, maize, pulses, oilseeds, cotton, jute and mesta. Meghalaya has a strong floriculture sector and is one of the leading states in the Northeast in terms of production and supply of cut flowers to mainland consumer markets. About 14 per cent (3,108 square kilometres) of Meghalaya is covered by bamboo forests, and the state is one of the leading bamboo producers in the country. The state has achieved success in the cultivation of non-traditional crops like tea, cashew nut, oilseeds, tomato, mushroom, wheat, etc. During 2015-16, the state produced 409.25 thousand tonnes of fruits under an area of 37.14 thousand hectares. Similarly, 88.20 thousand tonnes of spices were produced in the state under an area of 18.20 thousand hectares during 2015-16.

Of the 6,000 medicinal plants in India, 834 plants, including the famous Himalayan Yew, are in Meghalaya. Moreover, the state has eight of the top 20 medicinal plants that are traded in the country and are in high demand.

Meghalaya had an installed hydroelectric power capacity of 356.58 MW as of June 2016, comprising 313.03 MW from state utilities and 197.42 MW from central utilities. Of the total installed power generation capacity, 356.58 MW was contributed by hydropower, 122.84 MW by thermal power, and 31.03 MW by renewable power. The potential for hydropower in the state is estimated to be around 3,000 MW.

Meghalaya, with abundant deposits of coal, limestone, kaolin feldspar, quartz, granite, industrial clay and uranium and a small deposit base of sillimanite, bauxite, base metals and apatite has great industrial potential.

Meghalaya, one of the most picturesque states in the country, has two National Parks and three wildlife sanctuaries. It offers many adventure tourism opportunities like mountaineering, rock climbing, hiking & trekking, water sports, etc.

Agro-processing, horticulture, minerals, tourism, electronics and IT have been identified as thrust sectors for development and promotion. The state provides excellent institutional support through various central and state government agencies, namely North East Council, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, and Meghalaya Industrial Development Corporation.

The natural resources, policy incentives and infrastructure in the state favour investments in the tourism, hydroelectric power, manufacturing and mining sectors. Mineral, horticulture, electronics, IT, agro-processing and tourism have been identified as the thrust sectors for industrial development. The state has abundant natural resources, which offer significant avenues for investment. About 14 per cent (3,108 square kilometres) of Meghalaya is covered by bamboo forests and the state is one of the leading bamboo producers in the country.

Key Sectors:

Meghalaya is one of the leading north-eastern states in terms of production and supply of cut flowers to mainland consumer markets. The state’s climate, particularly the areas near Shillong in East Khasi hills district, is well suited for cut flower production.
Meghalaya is one of the leading producers of bamboo in the country. Bamboo enterprises can be developed from the bamboo reserves and forest cultivations. Natural bamboo forests cover 3,108 square kilometers (14 per cent) of Meghalaya’s total geographical area.
Meghalaya has a climate that supports agricultural and horticultural activities. The state offers potential for investment in these areas.
As of June 2016, the state had an installed hydroelectric power capacity of 356.58 MW. The state utilities accounted for a share of 79 per cent in total installed capacity and the remaining is contributed by the central sector. Hydroelectric power projects with a total capacity of 687 MW have been proposed to be set up in Meghalaya. All these projects are projected to be operational by 2016-17.
Meghalaya is richly endowed with flora, fauna, thick forests, ancient forest groves, large rivers and grass fields – making it an attractive tourism destination.
Meghalaya has an established tradition of high-quality weaving. Around 15,900 families are involved in handloom activities in the state. There are eight handloom production centres, 24 handloom demonstration-cum-production centres, 24 weaving training centres and a state-level handloom training institute (Mendipathar, East Garo Hills) in the state.