Shillong, Feb 9 : Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma Today  laid the foundation for the construction of the “Dairy Complex” at Mukhla village in West Jaintia Hills district. The Dairy Complex is constructed at an approximate cost of over Rs 9 crore and is funded by the National Programme for Dairy Development. The project is part of Meghalaya’s flagship programme of Dairy Mission. Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the project on completion will provide job avenues to about 2000 plus farming communities and will address the shortage of milk production in the State. ”Through this project, we are working towards ensuring livelihood through new means and new avenues, especially for the younger generation based on the population trend that we are seeing in our State,” Sangma said. “We expect that 50,000 youths will join the workforce every year, which means that we need to create 50,000 new jobs every year. It is a huge challenge for the Government. And realizing this challenge and growth in the youth population, the government has embarked on different ways of creating livelihood opportunities in different sectors,” he further added. Terming the project as “crucial” for the Government, the Chief Minister said, “In our State, we have production of about 12 lakh liters of milk but at the same time our consumption annually is over 200 lakh liters. So therefore there is a huge gap in production and consumption of milk in our State. This is a great opportunity for us for revenue generation as well as providing a viable alternative to jobs.” He also informed that various infrastructure development projects are in pipeline for Jaintia Hills, including laying of the foundation for Mini Secretariat in Jowai, beautification of Jowai town and improvement of internal roads and rural connectivity in the district. The Chief Minister also informed that the Maternity and Child Hospital, Jowai will soon be dedicated to the people of the State.(UNI)