SHILLONG, MAR 7: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday informed that 39 individual consultants and 69 consultancy firms are being engaged in the state presently.
Sangma in his reply in the Assembly said in the last seven years, the government was able to bring in as many as 13 externally aided projects (EAPs) after competing globally.
“Because of the professional work, we are getting funds worth over Rs 7,427 crore,” he added.
The chief minister informed, “We went and met the finance minister and she told us to immediately submit detailed project reports (DPRs) in regards to the Meghalaya Economic Growth Corridor project within two hours. Just because of the consultants we engaged we were able within seven days to get Rs 2,400 crore sanctioned by the ministry of finance.”
He also mentioned that Meghalaya was also the first state to put up the proposal for the Rs 132 crore Utility Mall project and said the mall is going to be run by local youth.
Sangma however informed that the process is on to develop skills and capacity of local boys and girls for consultancy jobs.
“Before, hardly 2-3% of local youths were working in consultancy firms. However, now we are almost touching 30 percent during the last 5-6 years,” he said. He assured that the government would try its best to ensure more and more youth joined the field.
The chief minister said that there is no extra burden on the state exchequer since 1 percent of the project cost is for payment to the consultants.
VPP legislator from Nongkrem Ardent M Basaiawmoit while raising supplementary question alleged that the government is paying lakhs of rupees to such consultants and end up paying only thousands of rupees to local people despite the hard work they put in to which the chief minister clarified that the system of payment is very transparent.
“Question of paying more to outsiders and paying less to our boys and girls does not arise as that is not the way things work,” Sangma said.
When leader of opposition Mukul Sangma alleged that the consultants are drawing more than the officers of the state, the chief minister said that the matter is being done through a tendering process and that the company is engaged in paying to the consultants.