Arunachal Pradesh to establish new body to improve infrastructure

To expedite infrastructure development, Arunachal Pradesh government will establish Arunachal Pradesh Infrastructure Financing Authority.
Commemorating the launch of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Arunachal Pradesh as an independent identity, the State Cabinet Meet was held here at Ziro chaired by Chief Minister Pema Khandu.

The cabinet decided to confer the highest State Award ‘Arunachal Ratna’ on Late K A A Raja, the first Lt Governor of Arunachal Pradesh for his immense and unforgettable contributions in the socio-economic and political development of the state and to provide financial assistance to 500 top performing women Self Help Groups through fixed deposit of Rs 1 lakh each to strengthen social capital base and take up economic activities and to 300 Primary Level Federations through capital subsidy deposit of Rs 2 lakhs each for procurement of goods transport vehicle for use by their respective constituent SHGs.

The cabinet decided to formulate District Level Good Governance Index through engaging an experienced knowledge partner for strengthening all round development and improve ease of living of the citizens. To identify and select 50 existing government schools based on professionally determined criteria for being developed as ‘Golden Jubilee Model Schools’ subject to maximum ceiling of Rs 12 crore expenditure per school at an estimated cost and allocation of Rs 500 crores approximately.

The cabinet decided to complete and inaugurate 365 physical infrastructure projects within the Golden Jubilee year period from 20 January 2022 to 20 January 2023 besides to provide recognition through a sum of Rs 2 lakhs as ‘Golden Jubilee Merit Award’ to any APST student completing class XII Board examination from schools of Arunachal Pradesh on qualifying National Level Entrance Examination and securing admission to IITs, IIMs, NLUs and AIIMSs and to provide an additional fixed deposit of Rs 5000 as top-up amount over the existing Rs 20000 under the ‘Dulari Kanya Scheme’ to ‘Golden Jubilee Daughters’ who are born between 20th January 2022 to 20th January 2023 and are fully immunized.

Addressing the keynote address on the occasion of Golden Jubilee celebrations of Arunachal Pradesh at Ziro, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein while extending his warm greetings to people of Arunachal Pradesh said that, “Today is a proud day for all of us, as on this beautiful day Arunachal Pradesh was born 50 years ago when the erstwhile North East Frontier Agency (NEFA) was named as Arunachal Pradesh and granted Union Territory (UT) status”.

He further highlighted that the all-important and game changing decision to change the name of NEFA to Arunachal Pradesh was taken during its second session at Shillong on 10th and 11th August 1970. Out of three options of name before the Council; Arunachal, Udayachal and Brahma Mandal, our founding fathers have chosen this beautiful name of “Arunachal Pradesh – the Land of the Rising Sun”.

“Another important resolution adopted was the introduction of English medium of School Education instead of Assamese medium of instruction in the education institutes of NEFA. The Agency Council also taken a historic decision that the Member of Parliament from NEFA should be elected by the people of Arunachal Pradesh instead of being nominated by the Government of India through Governor of Assam”, he informed.

He also recalled the contributions of Late Bibhabasu Das Shastri, the then Director of Research and Late K A A Raja, the then Chief Commissioner of Arunachal Pradesh who coined and gave us this beautiful name “Arunachal Pradesh”.

He had invited the academic institutes like Rajiv Gandhi University and research scholars from the State to write books and research papers on the political history of Arunachal Pradesh in addition to other facets of life in Arunachal Pradesh saying that “though we are proud of our developmental achievements through democratic political system during the last five decades, we are yet to make a serious attempt to write our own political history”.

He also said, “it is high time we must write our history in our own perspective and give due recognition to many of our tribal heroes of the State who defied the Britishers or the colonial rule and sacrificed their lives while protecting our land and people”.

He informed that State Government of Arunachal is making an effort in this direction and engaged research scholars from the Rajiv Gandhi University to collect relevant documents from various Institutions like British Libraries, National Libraries, National Archives and Assam Archives, etc. He further said, “Government of Arunachal Pradesh have requested Government of India to include the history of Arunachal Pradesh in the CBSE Syllabus and NCERT books so that next generation and people from the rest of the nation read about the freedom struggle and the sacrificed made by our forefathers”.