Itanagar: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday inaugurated five infrastructure projects under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) during a review meeting in Arunachal Pradesh.
The projects include Pasighat-Ledum-Tene Road, Flood Protection Work at Upper Deobil, General Hospital at Khonsa, Cluster MIPs at Gensi and District Hospital at Changlang.
The Union Minister presided over a review meeting at the Civil Secretariat in Itanagar, which was attended by Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, Advisor to the Minister for Planning Tsering Lhamu, and senior state government officials.
The meeting was held to review the performance of seven Regional Rural Banks of the North East Region covering the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
The Finance Minister reaffirmed the Central government’s commitment to the development of the entire Northeastern region, pledging continued financial and administrative support for future projects.
Chief Minister Khandu expressed deep gratitude for the unwavering support extended by the Central Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Finance Minister.
Khandu acknowledged the unique challenges faced by Arunachal Pradesh in terms of infrastructure development but lauded the remarkable progress made with the support of the Central government.
Highlighting Arunachal Pradesh’s vast hydropower potential, the Chief Minister stated, “Arunachal will significantly contribute to the national economy through hydropower.”
He appreciated the Central Government’s support in ensuring state equity in hydropower projects.
Khandu further emphasized the need for upgrading outdated infrastructure across Arunachal Pradesh.
He pointed out that many existing structures were of SPT type and called for rapid development and conversion to Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) structures.
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The Chief Minister stressed the need to improve the state’s low Credit-Deposit (CD) ratio and requested continued support from the Union Finance Minister in expanding banking services.
He appreciated the establishment of SBI Regional Business Office (RBO) in the state and urged for similar facilities in western Arunachal.
