Page 2 - Pema Khandu

After taking oath as Arunachal CM, Khandu says will fulfil poll promises

BJP returned to power in the state due to the development works undertaken by the Centre in the Northeast, said Pema Khandu

Pema Khandu set to retain post as Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh

Pema Khandu will become the chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh for the third term in a row, BJP sources said. Khandu was elected the BJP Legislature Party leader at a meeting here on Wednesday. BJP's central observers Ravi Sankar Prasad and Tarun Chugh attended the meeting. Khandu will stake claim to form the government later in the day, sources said.

NPP to extend support to Pema Khandu government in Arunachal Pradesh

The National People's Party (NPP) will extend support to the Pema Khandu government in Arunachal Pradesh, a senior party leader said here on Friday. NPP Arunachal Pradesh unit president Thangwang Wangham said the party has accepted the people's mandate in the recently held state Assembly elections. The NPP, led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, which is an ally of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), will extend support to the Khandu government, Wangham said. "We accept the mandate given by the people," he said while assuring his party's commitment to keep the aspirations of the people alive in the state. Wangham, who won the Longding-Pumao assembly seat, said the party has a clear vision for the state, region and the country. "We have regional aspirations with a national outlook and will always work for the welfare of the people and development of the state," he said. The NPP which contested in 20 seats in the April 19 state assembly elections won five seats. Wan

Arunachal CM among 10 BJP candidates elected unopposed in Assembly polls

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and his deputy Chowna Mein are among 10 BJP candidates who were elected unopposed in the state assembly polls, an official said on Saturday. Khandu and nine others were elected unopposed following the closure of the nomination withdrawal period, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Pawan Kumar Sain told reporters here. Khandu was the only person to file a nomination from the Mukto assembly constituency in Tawang district, while Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein won the Chowkham seat uncontested after his lone rival Bayamso Kri of the Congress withdrew his nomination on Saturday, he said. Single nomination paper has been filed in six assembly constituencies while in four others, opposition candidates withdrew their papers, he said. Elections to other constituencies of the 60-member assembly and two Lok Sabha seats will be held on April 19.

Arunachal CM Pema Khandu, 4 others set to get elected to assembly unopposed

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu and four other BJP candidates are set to get elected as MLAs unopposed as no other candidate has filed nomination from their assembly seats on the last day of filing papers on Wednesday. Assembly elections in Arunachal Pradesh will be held along with Lok Sabha polls. Voting for the 60-member assembly and two Lok Sabha constituencies -- Arunachal West and Arunachal East -- will be held on April 19. Fifteen candidates will also try their luck for the two Lok Sabha seats in the northeastern state. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be done on Thursday and the last date for withdrawal of candidature is March 30. The counting of votes for the Assembly polls will take place on June 2, while the Lok Sabha election results will be declared on June 4. "Single nomination paper has been filed in five assembly constituencies. We hope that a few more (seats) will be added by the last day of withdrawal," Khandu told PTI over the phone. This will be

Arunachal Pradesh CM hails Centre's move to fence India, Myanmar border

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu hailed the decision of the Centre to fence the entire 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, saying that the move will check the movement of unscrupulous elements from across the border. Home Minister Amit Shah had on Tuesday announced the decision to fence the India-Myanmar border, which could virtually put an end to the Free Movement Regime (FMR) prevalent along the porous border. The FMR allows people residing close to the India-Myanmar border to venture 16 km into each other's territory without any document. The 1,643-km-long India-Myanmar border, which passes through Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, currently has FMR. It was introduced in 2018 as part of India's Act East policy. Arunachal Pradesh shares a 520-km border with Myanmar. "A great move in the right direction to make our borders foolproof. Gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji and Hon'ble Home Minister Shri @AmitShah ji to fence our borde

AP achieves milestone of connecting 98% houses with potable water: Khandu

Arunachal Pradesh has achieved a historic milestone of connecting 98 per cent of households with potable tap water under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has announced. Khandu also said his government has resolved to provide a functional tap water connection to every household to ensure that everyone in Arunachal Pradesh has access to clean water. "A historic milestone achieved. Arunachal Pradesh crosses 98 per cent functional household tap connection coverage under Jal Jeevan Mission. It reflects our shared commitment to community well-being. As we move forward, we will achieve the 100 per cent mark soon," he said here on Saturday. The chief minister said it was his government's resolve to provide functional tap connection to every household to ensure that everyone in the state has access to clean water. "Glad to share that the determined efforts of Team Arunachal have helped us to log a remarkable accomplishment. The gap of 2 per cent will soon be addressed," he

Termination of govt servants, China's visa denial to Wushu players rock AP

The termination of service of 256 government employees for producing forged documents, China's decision to deny visa to wushu players from Arunachal Pradesh for the Asian Games and protests against the state public service commission exam paper leak took centre stage in the frontier state in the year 2023. The abduction of village officials and construction workers by militants, killing of a former MLA and anomalies over the recruitment of junior engineers found a place in the headlines in the northeastern state during the year. India strongly protested China's decision to deny visa to three women athletes from Arunachal Pradesh for the Asian Games with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur cancelling his visit to Hangzhou where the event took place. Women players Nyeman Wangsu, Onilu Tega and Mepung Lamgu were denied accreditation, which also worked as visa for the games held in September-October this year. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu dubbed the denial of visa to th

BJP only party that speaks against money culture in elections: Khandu

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu claimed that the BJP is the only party that boldly speaks against money culture in elections. Attending a massive meeting of the BJP at Seppa, the headquarters of East Kameng district, along with Union Earth Science Minister Kiren Rijiju and MLAs of the district, Khandu on Monday called upon the party workers to fight money culture in elections. Hailing BJP as the only party that can deliver, Khandu said that BJP is the cleanest amongst all political parties, a party communique said here. "BJP is the only party that can boldly speak against money culture in elections. I urge you all to campaign for a fair election that is based on performance and not on which candidate can pay how much in cash or kind," he said. "A leader who buys votes will never deliver. Let us unite in the fight against this malpractice to uphold the sanctity of democracy and thwart corruption", he added. The chief minister urged party workers to create awareness of

Scindia, CM Khandu to inaugurate upgraded Tezu Airport today in Arunachal

This endeavour marks a step in expanding connectivity in the northeastern region of India and bolstering the local economy, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement earlier

Arunachal CM holds 26th e-Pragati meet, seeks timeline on pending issues

He directed the DCs to take legal action against people who are indulging in construction or any other activity on lands after notification has been issued

Growth of order villages resulting in signs of reverse migration: CM Khandu

The Arunachal Pradesh government has placed tremendous focus on development of border areas by improving connectivity and communication and strengthening agricultural activities, resulting in early signs of reverse migration, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said here. "With half of the area and one-third of Arunachal Pradesh's population living in border blocks, the state government has placed tremendous focus on development of border areas through such interventions," Khandu told PTI during a visit to this village along the border with China. For decades, villages situated in the remote border areas have suffered from various challenges like poor connectivity, mountainous terrain, weak resource base and infrastructural bottlenecks, forcing people to migrate to developed areas, according to officials. Development of model village clusters, improving connectivity, strengthening the agriculture sector through 'Atmanirbhar' schemes and 'Mission Krishi Veer' to aggregate fresh fruits and ...

Centre giving more thrust to infrastructure push along border: Arunachal CM

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu Friday said the Central government is capable enough to tackle the border issue between India and China, and accordingly giving more thrust to infrastructure development. The process of building adequate infrastructure, particularly border connectivity, is being speeded up in the northeastern state. Work on the 2000-km-long Arunachal Frontier Highway has already started in certain sections and work is going on in full swing for construction of the Sela tunnel, located at a height of 13,700 feet. Responding to a question of Congress MLA Ninong Ering, the chief minister said that the Centre has increased the presence of army and para-military personnel on the border with China after the recent standoff between both neighbours. Referring to the recent face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers at Yangtse in Tawang district of the state, Khandu said, India is not as before and the situation has changed after the BJP-led NDA came to power a

Unsung heroes of Arunachal to find place in school syllabus: CM Pema Khandu

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Monday said that his government will introduce chapters on unsung heroes of the state in the school syllabus. Addressing the Statehood Day here, the chief minister said that the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, conceptualised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, provided a platform to honour the unsung heroes of the state, who sacrificed their lives for the country's freedom movement. We have prepared a report on all unsung heroes of the state after extensive research and fieldwork, which was released today. Based on the history of the freedom fighters, we will soon introduce chapters in the school syllabus on their contribution to the country's freedom fight, Khandu said. Terming Arunachal as the northeast of NE states, the chief minister asserted that the state is developing, for which the region is also developing. Earlier northeast was a neglected region. But in the past eight and half years, the Modi government at the Centre brought a lot of

Arunachal Pradesh spending Rs 500 crore to upgrade district hospitals: CM

Stressing the government's commitment to improving health infrastructure in the state, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday said the pandemic was an eye-opener. Inaugurating the outdoor patient department (OPD) at Kamba community health centre (CHC) in West Siang district, he said that about Rs 500 crore was being spent to develop all the district hospitals of the state. "The pandemic made us realise how ill-equipped we were in the health sector. Reviewing health infrastructure and services during the pandemic, we were shocked by its condition. Our government then decided with commitment to revive and recondition our health delivery system that could cope with any kind of emergency," he said. The chief minister said that most of the district hospitals have got a face-lift. The Bankim Pertin General Hospital at Pasighat, one of the oldest and with the most footfalls, is being developed into a 300-bed facility, he said. "Our efforts are bearing results. We have red

Arunachal Pradesh govt chalking out plan to empower all villages: CM

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has highlighted eight pillars of focus for the overall development of villages, which would also curb migration of rural folk to urban areas. The key areas include health, education, connectivity, electricity, livelihood, agriculture, sanitation and water supply. The state government is chalking out a broad plan to empower all villages in the coming years, an official release said, quoting Khandu. Only when our villages are empowered, the country will develop. Arunachal's identity is in our villages, the chief minister said on Wednesday. Expressing concern over migration of people from villages to urban towns and cities, Khandu said if this continues, the state's villages will disappear and so would the distinct cultural identity of Arunachal Pradesh. He also urged gram panchayat leaders to closely monitor schemes and programmes being implemented in their respective villages, and ensure quality of work and its timely completion.

Arunachal to hand over APPSC exam paper leak case to CBI: CM Pema Khandu

Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said his government will hand over the probe into the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) exam paper leak case to the CBI. The question paper of the exam for the Assistant Engineer (Civil), conducted on August 26 and August 27 by the APPSC, was leaked. Police have so far arrested five people in the case. Speaking to reporters in Ziro in Lower Subansiri district after inaugurating a slew of projects on Monday, Khandu said the state government has decided to hand over the investigation to the CBI. "The APPSC is considered to be the highest recruitment institution of the state and such kind of corruption in the recruitment process will not be tolerated," he said. Unemployed youths of the state have a lot of expectations from the APPSC, he added. Khandu said the paper leak has created a negative impression among job aspirants about the APPSC and the state government. "The officers involved in the corruption will not be spared under any

Arunachal releases Rs 79 cr basic grants to Panchayati raj institutions

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday released the basic grant for this year to the Panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) amounting to Rs 79.21 crore. The amount accounts for 70 per cent of the basic grant to state PRIs, while the rest 30 per cent, which will be performance based, would be released after review of performances of the PRIs in their respective jurisdictions. Handing over the amount to the concerned department at a function held here by All Arunachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj Parishad (AAPPRP) as 'thanksgiving' to the state government, Khandu informed that the grant amount is from the state-owned resource tax revenue. "Instead of looking for help from the Centre for each and everything, we have allocated Rs 123 crore from our internal resources to PRIs for this year and this is the basic grant we are releasing today," he said. Stating that as per the 73rd Constitutional amendment, the state government has decided to devolve power to PRIs on 29 subjects, Kha

PM Modi to visit Arunachal; dedicate airport, hydro electric power project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the country's eastern most state Arunachal Pradesh and dedicate the greenfield Itanagar airport and 600 mw Kameng hydro electric power project to the nation, a communique by the chief minister's office said on Friday. The convenient date for the visit will be informed by the prime minister's office (PMO), Modi told Chief Minister Pema Khandu during a meeting in New Delhi on Thursday. Khandu had called on the prime minister and apprised him of the two developmental initiatives, which are complete and ready for operationalisation, the communique said. The chief minister informed Modi of the development projects undertaken in the north eastern state in the eight years of the government helmed by him.. The airport will be the first in the northeast to have the capacity to land big aircraft, he informed the prime minister. The decks for operationalisation of the Itanagar airport have been cleared with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation ...

Technical team to prepare holistic plan for flood-prone Paglam: Khandu

He said that the team would be sent after completion of the budget session of the assembly, which commences on March 11