GUWAHATI, May 31: DONER and Tribal Affairs Minister PR Kyndiah today said that his Ministry would ensure that funds were released to the north-eastern States timely and the schemes completed on schedule. Kyndiah gave this assurance when he called on Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi at the latter’s residence here.
Gogoi apprised Kyndiah of the various problems plaguing the State like floods and erosion, burgering insurgency-related expenditure, modernization of the police force, erosion problem of Majuli, hundred per cent reservation of jobs for locals in fourth grades of Central Government organizations and others. Gogoi also pressed for funding of self-help groups, initiation of work of the gas cracker project as well as expansion of East-West corridor to Ledo.
The Chief Minister also urged that the ratio of funds released for development schemes by the Centre should be changed from the present 75:25 to 90:10, besides reimbursing all expenditure related to law and order by the Centre.
Kyndiah assured that he would take personal initiative to ensure that the various problems faced by the State were resolved. He said that his focus would be to ensure the all-round development of each and every State in the North-east.
Kyndiah had recently said that with Congress-led Government at the Centre, the North-east enjoyed the ‘centrality of focus’ as four leaders including the Prime Minister represented the region in the Union Government. Kyndiah is the only Cabinet Minister in the Centre in-charge of the region.
State Planning Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Secretary JP Rajkhowa and Additional Chief Secretary S Kabilan, Finance Commissioner Himangshu Shekhar Das and two Meghalaya ministers were also present in the meeting.