Shillong, Mar 7: During the Budget Session of the Meghalaya Assembly, VPP MLA from Mawlai Brightstarwell Marbaniang questioned the Meghalaya government’s decision to hire consultants despite having a large number of unemployed, technically qualified youths.

Marbaniang wondered if the state’s youths were not good enough or if it showed the government’s incompetence.

Chief Minister Conrad Sangma responded by stating that the state is competing with the best in the country and the world, requiring experts to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) with technical specifications.

Sangma highlighted the state’s success in securing Rs. 200 crores under the Challenge Based Destination Development Swadesh Darshan program, attributing it to the high-quality proposals submitted.

However, VPP legislator Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit countered that local youths can carry out the work, and it’s unfair that consultants are paid lakhs while the youths receive only thousands.

Basaiawmoit emphasized that the credit for the work done by local youths should not go to consultants.