Chief minister Lalthanhawla has accepted the proposal. He also pointed out to Planning Commission deputy chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia that already 94.4 per cent of the 785 villages in the state have been connected with approach roads.
Around 61.9 per cent of these villages, many of which are perched on the hills, have been connected to the other parts by all-weather roads.
Official reports reaching here from Aizawl stated a special road development programme for Mizoram was incorporated in the annual plan, as desired by the Centre.
The Centre has also pointed out to Lalthanhawla that grant of some additional funds by the Union finance ministry could be considered for the execution of this road development project during this fiscal.
Mizoram already has NH 54 connecting Silchar with Aizawl at its first lap and then with Lunglei town on the southern flank. The total length of this national highway is 417km.
The Centre has also asked the Mizoram government to emphasise the state’s foodgrain output, so that it could become self-sufficient in a few years.
At present, the state government depends on the Centre for the release of rice and wheat from its grain pool through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) for feeding a population of over 9 lakh.
Mizoram farmers grow rice, staple food of the Mizos, from its jhum fields on the hill slopes and farms in the plains.
In another innovative scheme, the state government’s New Land Use Policy has earned kudos from the Planning Commission.
This 2,600-crore plus project aims at providing Mizos living in the rural areas the scope to earn their livelihood by farming rice, vegetables and horticulture products and by engaging them in the production of handicrafts and trade.
Lalthanhawla said his state had already made progress in the education and health sectors.
Lalthanhawla told the Centre in New Delhi last week, that Mizoram had already achieved the status of the second-most literate state in the country by notching up literacy figure of 91.58 per cent. Kerala leads with 93.91 per cent.
The Centre has lauded the Mizoram government’s efforts to achieve fiscal discipline by restricting fiscal deficit at 2.4 per cent of its annual budget.