CM Khandu seeks people’s support to achieve ‘Viksit Arunachal’ goal

Itanagar, Aug 15 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday urged people to extend their whole-hearted support to the government to achieve the target of making Arunachal a developed state.After hoisting the Tricolour at the Indira Gandhi Park here on the occasion of 78th Independence Day, the Chief Minister said the target of building ‘Viksit Arunachal’ cannot be accomplished without the total support of the people.CM Khandu said sustainable development that would benefit all sections of the society can be achieved by leveraging natural resources responsibly and preserving cultural heritage.The Chief Minister also told the gathering that according to the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ scoreboard for 2023-24, Arunachal Pradesh has moved into the group of ‘Front Runner States’, marking a significant improvement from “our status as a ‘Performer State’ in 2020-21″.He said that in future, the government would pursue all SDGs with a saturation approach, adding that the state has considerably reduced multidimensional poverty by almost 11 per cent in the last three years.Through robust governance reforms, enhancing transparency, accountability and efficiency in administration, the government is keen to fulfil the ‘Vision 2047’ target, CM Khandu said.“We would make utmost endeavour to eradicate the current poverty rate of 13.76 per cent by 2047. Also, 100 per cent digitalisation of services would be achieved by 2029, empowering the citizens with easy access to essential services,” he said.The government would also try to make considerable investments in enhancing human capital, focusing on education, skill development, and vocational training, to empower people with knowledge and expertise needed to participate actively in the state’s growth story, the Chief Minister said.He also announced that to enhance the quality of life of people, the government would ensure physical and digital connectivity for all unconnected villages and administrative headquarters.The state government is committed to empower at least 21,000 women to become ‘Lakhpati Didi’ in the next five years, empowering them to earn more than Rs 1 lakh per year, he said.The Chief Minister also said that the government would soon launch schemes related to skill development, entrepreneurship etc. to provide over 25,000 employment and self-employment opportunities in the next five years.“We must be prepared for global challenges like pandemics, climate change, technological disruptions, economic instability and the rising geopolitical tensions. It is essential for us to think and act locally and globally,” the Chief Minister said.–IANSsc/arm