AMN
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu laid the foundation stones for improvement, widening to two/four lanes of the National Highway-40 (Shillong to Dawki) at a function held at Shillong today in Meghalaya. The Vice President was accompanied by the Governor of Meghalaya Satyapal Malik, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma and Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and Chief Secretary R.V. Suchiang. Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari also attended the ceremony virtually.
The 64.2-kilometer stretch highway is funded by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and will be constructed by the National Highway and Infrastructure Development Corporation at an estimated cost of over 1,606.52 crore rupees.
Speaking on this occasion, the Vice President said, once the up-gradation is completed, it is expected to provide better connectivity in the region and provide a key link within the North-East Region as well as with neighboring country Bangladesh. This road will also help in the overall development of Meghalaya.
Mr Naidu stated that one of the biggest positive outcomes of better infrastructure and connectivity is that of increased tourism. Meghalaya is a beautiful state with huge tourism potential which needs to be tapped to its fullest, he added and said that after the completion of this project, it will also give a major boost to the tourism of the state. He further said that over the years, Meghalaya has also been diversifying its economy by promoting agro-entrepreneurship. Given the large area in the state under horticulture, this gives immense opportunities to budding entrepreneurs for adding value to the supply chain, he asserted.
Similarly, the State and Central Governments have been striving to improve the infrastructure for increasing tourist footfall. Many new places with high tourism potential are being discovered, the Vice President added. He also mentioned that the Meghalaya government has started an innovative PRIME Hub initiative to encourage entrepreneurship among the youth and also to equip them with skill-based learning. This is an excellent effort and if implemented with earnestness, can go a long way in contributing towards the Prime Minister’s call for Aatmanirbhar Bharat.