Mizoram accords highest priority to achieving self- sufficiency: Governor

Mizoram Governor P.S. Sreedharan

Pillai on Tuesday said that the state government has accorded the highest priority to achieving self-sufficiency, especially in food grains.

Addressing the assembly on the first day of the budget session, Pillai said that Mizoram has seen steady progress in the implementation of centrally sponsored schemes and the states flagship programme - Socio-Economic Development Policy (SEDP).

He said that oil palm cultivation area has increased to 26,531 hectare, a rise of 2.34 per cent, by the end of 2020.

The governor said that under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region, a Central Sector Scheme, Mizoram has covered 13,000 hectare of land involving 14,104 farmers.

Altogether Rs 97.72 crore has been disbursed till December 2020 under Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM- KISAN), he said.

Under Jal Jeevan Mission, as many as 40,479 out of the total 1,26,827 rural households have been provided with functional house tap connections during fiscal 2020-21 (till December), Pillai said.

He said that the state government encourages private entrepreneurs for setting up viable industrial units on locally available raw materials.

The Mizoram Market Regulation (Promotion & Facilitation Ordinance, 2020) for fixation of steady price of vegetables, meat and cereals will be implemented very soon, he said.

He said that the National Bamboo Mission has allocated Rs 4.75 crore towards establishment of four processing units for value addition of bamboo, three bamboo waste management units, four units of handicraft or cottage industry, four furniture making units and five incense stick making units.

According to the governor, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj has approved the Annual Action Plan of Mizoram amounting to Rs 13.585 crore for the year 2020-2021.

Under MGNREGA, a total of 2,11,555 households have been issued Job Cards in Mizoram and all active Job Card holders have been provided with 96 days of unskilled wage employment till January this year, he said.

Mizoram was the first state in the country to grant industry status to sports in June last year, Pillai said adding that several sports infrastructure projects are being carried out in the state.

The government is also making massive efforts to fight the increasing drug menace in the state, the governor said.

In 2020, the excise and narcotics department arrested 1,492 people and 1,596 cases were registered for trading in illicit liquor and drug trafficking, he said.