The state is set to get its first IT Park, which will create over 1500 jobs, soon.
Addressing the 50th Meghalaya Day celebration virtually, Sangma said he would inaugurate the park in a few days from now.
He also announced that the state government will inaugurate over 300 projects as part of the year-long golden jubilee celebrations.
“This will be only a beginning and I assure you we will expand the IT Park in the future to cover more areas and provide more job opportunities to our youth,” he said.
Stating that many projects, which were initiated but could not see the light of day due to multiple reasons, Sangma, however, declared that the Crowborough Hotel will be completed during the 50th year of statehood.
He also said work on the state assembly building would also be completed in the next few months.
On laying of the foundation stone of the new Administrative City, Sangma said, “This has been a long-pending requirement for Shillong to decongest the state capital and also to have a planned administrative city.”
“Over 800 acres of land has already been procured and within a few months we will be starting some of the work in these areas and I am hopeful within the next decade we will be able to create necessary infrastructure to shift to the new administrative secretariat soon,” he added.
Admitting that there are many other issues the state is facing, the chief minister said those relating to environment and climate change, employment for the youth, doubling farmers’ income are going to be a very big challenge.
“So the next decade as well as the next 50 years will be full of these challenges, but let me assure you that foundation to meet those challenges has been laid in the past 50 years,” he said.
“We need to also realise that our strength lies in our culture, community, youth, natural resources and, therefore, as a government we must ensure that we work on our strength to meet the challenges and take our state forward in the next decade,” he said.
Stating that his vision is to ensure Meghalaya should become one of the top ten states in the country in the next ten years, Sangma said all must work together to make it a reality.
The programme held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Speaker Metbah Lyngdoh, Leader of Opposition Mukul M Sangma, Rajya Sabha MP WR Kharlukhi, cabinet ministers, MLAs and MDCs, Chief Secretary RV Suchiang besides senior state and central government officials among others.
The dignitaries launched the documentation on 50 years of Meghalaya and the state emblem and released the commemorative stamp of the state.
A foundation stone of the New Administrative Township was also laid during the programme.
Other highlights of the celebration included a documentary on ‘Statehood Movement’ by the Directorate of Information & Public Relations presentation of docu-drama – ‘Meghalaya: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow’ by the Department of Arts & Culture; announcement and distribution of the Meghalaya Day Awards to Benedict Skhemlang Hynniewta (U Tirot Singh Award for Arts and Literature), Father Charles Ch Sangma (Pa Togan Sangma Award for Social Services) and Halen Nongtdu (U Kiang Nangbah Award for Sports); Meghalaya Day Excellence Awards; sealing of the Memory Crate and performance by the Shillong Chamber Choir.