Shillong, Aug 15: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday stressed that Meghalaya is a young State and the young population of the State is the strength of the State.
“Seven out of ten Meghalayans are less than 35 years old. The youth have the responsibility of transforming the economy, preserving the heritage and bringing laurels to the State. This government has undertaken many youth-centered initiatives over the last four and a half years,” the Chief Minister said in his Independence Day speech here on Monday.
“A key priority for youth is employment. Entrepreneurship is the route through which our youth can become job creators. The PRIME program has already benefited 1,300 entrepreneurs over the last three years. We have been hand-holding these entrepreneurs in making business plans, applying for loans, getting certifications, and exploring new markets,” the Chief Minister said.
He informed that the government is adopting technology on a large scale for job creation.
“The Information Technology Park at Shillong was operationalized this year and is already providing jobs to thousands of our youth. The second phase of Information Technology will also be initiated this year. We are using advanced technology such as drones for delivery of services. During the recent floods, we used drones to deliver medicines in villages in South Garo Hills that had been completely cut off,” the Chief Minister said while adding, “We also successfully piloted the aerial spray of fertilizers on standing arecanut crops in East Khasi Hills and South Garo Hills. Large scale deployment of such technologies will create employment opportunities in the immediate future.”
He also informed the people on the significant program that has been launched for the well-rounded development of the youth. “The youth need confidence to articulate their views, and platforms to showcase their talents. Under the ASPIRE program, talented kids are being identified in all the districts and will participate in a State level talent competition.”
“We have already covered 20,000 students under the ASPIRE program. Our goal is to expand the coverage of this program to 1 lakh kids in the next few years,” the Chief Minister added.
