Arunachal deputy chief minister Chowna Mein on Friday placed before Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman the specific requirements of Arunachal Pradesh for the same to be incorporated in the Union Budget 2019-20, according to sources on Saturday.
Citing health and education as the priority sectors, Mein who was in New Delhi to attend the pre-budget consultation meeting for the forthcoming Union Budget said that Arunachal Pradesh requires an additional investment of Rs 6000 crore to upgrade and develop infrastructure of all health centers, hospitals, institutes, training centers etc including that of the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences which is the only medical institute of the State.
Mein, who is also the minister in-charge of finance for Arunachal added that a tertiary care cancer treatment centre is proposed to be made operational at TRIHMS this year and at the same time also stressed on the need to establish an Ayurveda Medical College and one Pharmaceutical College in the state.
He also placed to consider funding for establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences like autonomous institution in the state.
For the education sector, the deputy chief minister sought a special assistance of Rs 1,349.13 crore with budgetary provisions in the up-coming union budget, specifically for development of educational infrastructures (including retro fittings) in order to improve the education scenario of the state and bridge all the necessary gaps.
He also urged the Union minister to consider the Government of Arunachal Pradesh’s proposal of sanctioning Rs. 1,524.17 crore as a fresh special package for the Tirap, Changlang and Longding districts so as to generate employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the local people there.
Mein further placed for a composite package of Rs. 4690.08 crore for infrastructure development of border villages along Indo-China border and also requested to retain the allocation of Rs 80 crore as in the last financial year under Border Area Development Programme. The amount had been reduced to Rs 65 crore as tentative allocation in the current financial year.