NAMSAI, Sep 24: Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed full confidence in the capabilities of the deputy commissioners and said that it gives him the confidence to set deadlines whenever required. He said that till date the deputy commissioners and government officials have not failed him. Khandu was addressing the 26 deputy commissioners here during the opening ceremony of the two-day conference on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) today.
In presence of Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Khandu reiterated that while the country has set to accomplish the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) by 2024, Arunachal Pradesh has taken upon itself to complete it by 2023.
Informing that the state’s cumulative score of SDG has increased from 51 in 2018 to 60 in 2021, Khandu however asserted that the score needs to be enhanced at a faster rate if the goals are to be achieved on time.
Emphasizing on the role of deputy commissioners, he said implementing government schemes at the grassroots depends upon their action. Down the line, achieving the SDGs will fully depend upon DCs in the districts, he pointed.
“Challenges and potentials differ from district to district. DCs are in the best position to know the challenges and potentials of their respective districts. So you have to be innovative and make your own decisions best suited for your district. Don’t wait for government directives all the time,” he advised.
Khandu suggested focusing on four sectors – tourism, agri-allied sectors, hydropower and natural resources – during the conference and chalking out a roadmap to harness these potentials viably without harming the environment. 
He requested the Commissioners and secretaries headed by the chief secretary present to discuss in detail all government policies and programmes and the role DCs can play in successful implementation of these during the conference. The chief minister informed that he would sit through the two-day conference along with his cabinet colleagues, most of whom would be arriving at Namsai by Friday evening. Also NITI Ayog CEO Amitabh Kant will be joining the conference via video conferencing on Saturday.

The inaugural session was also graced by Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER Kishan Reddy Gangapuram and Lok Sabha MP (East) Tapir Gao.
A day earlier, Reddy laid the foundation with the ceremonial Bhoomi Poojan for development of pilgrimage site at Parashuram Kund under the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) scheme of Govt of India.
Later, Shekhawat inaugurated a 2.70 MLD capacity Integrated Water Supply Project for Chongkham and en route habitations at Marua, declared full saturation of Chongkham Block under Jal Jeevan Mission and dedicated 303 completed schemes under JJM to the people across the state.
The Chongkham project will benefit about 39,000 population with total of 3793 households, 44 schools and 103 Anganwadi centres including all religious places, community halls and other institutions.
Deputy Chief Minister, Chowna Mein in his address  requested the deputy commissioners to focus on the factors that will ensure sustainability of any project developed by the government. He said that many good infrastructures have been developed by the government but due to non-sustainability of the project, the infrastructures get damaged sooner or later.
Informing that most of the government infrastructures are of NEFA days and are in dilapidated condition which needs to be replaced and re-constructed, Mein requested the Centre to provide a one-time special fund for the same.
He said that the state government is planning to bring in more financial reform in connection with movement of files for financial concurrence by shortening/fast-tracking the process given that all the check-lists provided by the Department of Planning and Finance are fully furnished.   
He expressed hope that after the conference, Deputy Commissioners will be more focussed on their monitoring mechanism from the SDG perspective, as they are vital to how the development process will be steered in their respective districts in the coming future as they understand the unique issues and circumstances of their respective districts.
DC’s conference will go a long way in ensuring that the respective deputy commissioners take ownership of these goals and play a leading role in improving their district ranking through peer learning and spirit of competition. The institution of the Deputy Commissioner continues to play a vital role in convergence and monitoring of all developmental activities in the State. The DC’s as team leaders should encourage and motivate their officers to ensure that the district targets are aligned with the SDGs. It’s when the Global SDGs are localised into District specific targets, we will be able to achieve our commitments to the international community, Mein said.
He exuded hope that the workshop will be a game changer for the state’s developmental direction from expenditure oriented to outcome oriented to meet the goal of “Antyodaya” - uplifting the weakest section of society. 

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Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

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