by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Mukul Sangma
Mawshynrut (Meghalaya) : Meghalaya’s opposition National People’s Party (NPP) on Tuesday accused the Mukul Sangma government for failing to take up the issue of coal mining with the Central government post the National Green Tribunal ban.
“People in Meghalaya largely depend on coal directly or indirectly but the Chief Minister has failed to ensure that mining is in the interest of the people,” NPP chief Conrad K. Sangma said at an election rally in West Khasi Hills district.
He said that he had raised the issue in the Parliament several times and with the Central government because he was “really concerned for our people and their livelihood” but it was “surprising that the state government under the leadership of Mukul Sangma failed to take up the issue with the centre”.
He opined that Mukul Sangma had an “ulterior motive” and the people of Jaintia Hills have realised it and branded the Meghalaya Mining Development Corporation (MMDC) as “Mukul Mining Dikkanchi Corporation”, as the Chief Minister tried all effort to force the people to sign an agreement with MMDC.
He said that the Central government had asked Meghalaya to draft a mining policy but Mukul Sangma has failed the people “because he has no vision”.
“NPP has a political will but no political power, if the people give their mandate, NPP would ensure that mining starts again in the state,” Conrad Sangma said while specifying that mining is a thrust area as NPP believes in scientific approach to coal mining.
He also promised a slew of development initiatives for a new and resurgent Meghalaya, while claiming that the people had enough of Congress.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Shillong : Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Thursday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for replicating the Megha Health Insurance Scheme, one of the flagship programme launched by the state’s Congress government, on the national level.
In his Budget 2018-19 speech on Thursday, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley announced a flagship National Health Protection Scheme under which Rs 5 lakh cover will be provided per year to 10 crore poor and vulnerable families in the country.
“The Central government in fact invited the State government to present this exemplary health initiative to other states. I must thank him (Prime Minister) for replicating the scheme,” Sangma told IANS over phone.
Noting that Megha Health Insurance Scheme is one of the transformations in the state’s health sector, he said: “There is no programme as inclusive as ours. Our scheme did not confined only to BPL (Below Poverty Line) families, but we extended it to everybody….”
“Not just this health scheme, we have one of the best Intensive Care Units in government Ganesh Das hospital and Tura hospital. We have made it slow but steady progress in health care sector. And the most important is that we have been able to take care of the expenditure for the medical treatment,” he added.
On Modi’s allegation about the state’s “poor” health sector, Sangma said that “it was unfortunate for the Prime Minister… obviously because he did not do his homework properly”.
The Chief Minister also exuded confidence that his party will retain power in Meghalaya, while saying the results of the Rajasthan bypolls where the party wrested two parliamentary and one assembly seat from the ruling BJP an indication “people’s actual anger and frustration” against the BJP and a sign that Congress will return to power in the 2019 general elections.
—IANS
by admin | May 25, 2021 | News, Politics
Mukul Sangma
Shillong : Slamming RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s remark that “anybody living in India is a Hindu”, Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on Tuesday said “India is a secular, democratic country and secularism is part of our constitution”.
“Their agenda is only to divide the Indian people on lines of religion and create communal tension. His statement (made in Tripura) is loud and clear that the motive is to that. We really need to ponder,” Sangma told IANS.
“It is totally unacceptable to say that anybody living in India is a Hindu. The whole world knows that India is a secular, democratic country and secularism is part of our constitution,” the veteran Congress leader said.
Sangma said that the nation must not allow such divisive forces to spread communalism as it is dangerous and pose a threat to India.
“Our secular ideals are under threat because of the ideology of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). We cannot allow these divisive forces to further penetrate and it is dangerous for any nation to be dictated by such forces,” he said.
Charging the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre of imposing the RSS agenda, Sangma said: “They (Modi government) have been driven by the RSS agenda and this government is implementing them.”
“Ever since they came to power, they have been implementing RSS ideology. It is time for people to be blunt and frank and express their concern,” the Congress leader said.
Sangma also said the Congress is firm and ready to defend the secular fabric of India.
“We should not lose focus. One after another, the hidden agenda of the BJP has come out. We should be able to properly articulate… and be ready to defend the future of this nation,” Sangma said.
—IANS
