Cabinet approves Medical Skill Hunar Hub in WGH

The state cabinet on Tuesday approved the construction of a Medical Skill Hunar Hub at Babadam in West Garo Hills (WGH) district.

It will be one of the largest centres of medical skill in the entire Northeast.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the cost of the project, initiated in 2020, is Rs 151.95 crore. He said the idea was to have medical skill for para-medical staff.

“The large-scale skill centre will be set up in West Garo Hills and the reason why it was selected is only WGH was the eligible district to get the funds from the Minority Affairs Ministry that time,” he said, adding the norms have changed now and all districts are eligible.

Stating that the state government had initially proposed Rs 282 crore, the CM said after certain adjustments in the proposal, the ministry has decided to sanction Rs 135 crore out of Rs 151.95 crore on 90:10 basis – 90% will be borne by the Centre and 10% by the state government.

“This will have space for almost 2,500 students and facilities including hostels, a pharmaceutical college, nursing college, para-medical college and one skill development center. This will in one way become one of the largest centers for medical skill in the entire Northeast,” the CM said.

He said the initial installments for these have been released and the work will be executed through the “Engineering Project India Limited” (EPI). He said the PSU was selected after a bidding process.

No decision on pay hike for mid-day meal workers
Sangma said the state government has not taken any decision on increasing the monthly honorarium of mid-day meal workers from the current Rs 1,000.

“We will be having a discussion on that and we will see how it goes. We have not taken a decision yet,” he told reporters.

The All Jaintia Mid-Day Meal Workers’ Union, Jowai (AJMDMWU) on Monday launched (Contd on P-4)

Cabinet approves medical skill hunar hub
(Contd from P-1) indefinite sit-in protest against the government’s failure to increase the honorarium.

The members of the AJMDMWU had begun the protest near the office of the Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) at Lower Lachumiere. Initially, they had assembled at the parking lot of the Additional Secretariat but the district administration shifted them to the premises of the MBoSE office.

The union’s Laskein block unit president Phiyoolis Syngkon said Rs 1,000 per month is meagre considering the number of hours the workers have to work to prepare food for the children. She said they want the government to enhance the honorarium to Rs 5,000.

Syngkon said the workers receive Rs 900 from the central government and Rs 100 from the state government.

“We have also demanded that the honorarium be released within the tenth of every month and LPG cylinders be provided to all PM Poshan kitchens in schools,” she said. The Shillong Times