NEW DELHI, Dec 18: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein who is also the state’s Minister in charge for Finance today attended the Pre-Budget consultation meeting for Union Budget 2020-21 chaired by Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman here at national capital.
While placing the state’s specific requirements to be incorporated in the Union Budget, DCM highlighted on issues such as financial inclusion, development of border areas, share of central taxes, disaster management and externally aided projects, besides dwelling on other relevant issues concerning the state. Deliberating on developmental needs of border areas, Mein said that since the  state is of great strategic importance sharing international borders with China and Myanmar, these areas need rapid development with improvement in  connectivity to stop inward migration of indigenous people and also to thwart any foreign misadventures in Arunachal Pradesh. In this regard, he called for early release of the special package for development of the state’s Indo-China border areas. While raising concern on the wide gap created between the recommendation of 14th Finance Commission and the actual realisation of the state’s share of central taxes, Mein said that this would eventually lead to huge infrastructural gap thereby adversely affecting the momentum of the state’s development process.
Informing that there are still 805 unbanked villages and 37 unbanked blocks out of 114 blocks which need to be brought under banking services, DCM laid emphasis on covering all the beneficiaries through social security schemes and services, good connectivity throughout the state and opening of new bank branches. He also deliberated for increasing the priority sector lending needs of the state to generate employment and called for providing necessary infrastructure and manpower for opening up more customer service point outlets in rural areas.  On disaster management, Mein said that due to relentless monsoon, devastations occur on annual basis and as the currents norms of SDRF/NDRF guidelines are too meagre for restoration of  damaged infrastructures, the current allocation pattern to the state under disaster relief operations needs to be based upon the  criticality  and vulnerability of the areas. He also stressed on giving due weightage to Cost Disability Index while allocating resources among states, keeping in view the non-availability of external aided funds from international agencies to Arunachal Pradesh and appealed the finance ministry to make suitable arrangements for the state to compensate this loss. Enhancing of devolution formula of weightage for maintaining the state’s forest cover keeping parity with the economic opportunity lost amidst rapid urbanisation was also highlighted by the DCM. 

Mein expressed hope that the Union Finance Ministry will consider the resolution of the Indian Himalayan State and the recommendations will be incorporated while devising the formula for devolution of central taxes for the next five years.  Secretary Planning Himanshu Gupta also attended the meeting. DCM Media Cell

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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
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