SHILLONG, JUN 29: Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Monday confirmed that the state government has rejected a proposal seeking a Rs 200 crore interest-free loan for USTM’s PA Sangma International Medical College & Hospital (PIMC), citing Meghalaya’s revenue deficit status.
“At the initial stage there was a discussion, but later the government declined it. There is no such support,” Shylla told reporters when asked about the proposal’s status.
He clarified that the decision was made by the previous cabinet.
“In the previous cabinet, I was not a part of it. But the decision was taken to reject the proposal for an interest-free loan to USTM,” he said.
While not privy to the full deliberations, Shylla pointed to fiscal priorities as the likely reason.
“I was not part of the cabinet at that time, so I am not aware of the details of the discussion. But there must have been genuine reasons. Meghalaya is not a revenue-surplus state; we are revenue-deficit,” he said.
“We also have many other important areas to concentrate on and invest in. Since USTM is a private institution, the government at the time may have felt they could secure funding or financial support from other sources. I think that is why the government decided accordingly,” he added.
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