Protection of rivers, streams must: DyCM Mein

Namsai: Arunachal Pradesh deputy chief minister Chowna Mein on Saturday called for the protection of the catchment areas to sustain the rivers and streams and a ban on fishing and hunting, especially in shrine areas to protect the wildlife.

He was addressing the valedictory session of the 2-day conference of the deputy commissioners on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) here.

Mein observed that the data of various sectors are not correctly updated, especially on agriculture and horticulture products.

“For proper planning and execution of schemes, data need to be updated correctly,” he said, adding that the decadal census should be done correctly indicating the exact tribe-wise population of the state.

On affordable and clean energy, the deputy chief minister said the root cause of failure of the districts that have scored below 30% should be found out and remedy learnt from other states.

“Geographical location cannot be the excuse for us anymore as the states with tough terrain are also doing well. It is the high time to gear up,” he said.

Mein thanked chief minister Pema Khandu for this timely and thoughtful exercise held exactly a month after the release of the Northeast region dashboard by the NITI Aayog.

With this exercise, officials in each district will have a clear idea of where they are lacking and can work on improving the same, he said.