State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister of the State Senior General Min Aung Hlaing meets members of Mandalay Region and PyinOoLwin Township Administration Councils, departmental personnel, town elders
Nay Pyi Taw September 16
State Administration Council Chairman Prime Minister of the State Senior General Min Aung Hlaing met with members of Mandalay Region and PyinOoLwin Township Administration Councils, departmental personnel and town elders at the township hall of PyinOoLwin this morning.
Also present at the meeting were member of the State Administration Council Lt-Gen Moe Myint Tun, Council Joint Secretary Lt-Gen Ye Win Oo, Union ministers U Tin Htut Oo, U Hla Moe and U Khin Maung Yi, Mandalay Region Chief Minister U Maung Ko, Commanderin-Chief (Navy) Admiral Moe Aung, senior military officers from the Office of the Commanderin-Chief, Commander of Central Command Maj-Gen Ko Ko Oo, Chairman of Mandalay City Development Committee Mayor U Kyaw Hsan, members of Mandalay Region, PyinOoLwin District and Township Administration Bodies, departmental personnel, town elders and chairmen of ward/village administration bodies.
The Senior General and party were welcomed by Chief Minister U Maung Ko and members.
At the meeting hall, the region Chief Minister reported on progress of social, economic, health and regional development sectors of Mandalay Region, plans to build staff housings and urban housings, vaccination of COVID-19, and general matters while Chairman of Mandalay City Development Committee Mayor U Kyaw Hsan presented development tasks. PyinOoLwin District Commissioner U Tin Maung Win reported on the data related to the region and development tasks.
In his speech, the Senior General said he met with them to hold talks about development tasks for Mandalay Region and PyinOoLwin District. The infection rate of COVID-19 in the third wave was very high similar to other global countries.
As the infection rate is high in PyinOoLwin District, it has been inserted into the list of stay-at-home programme since July. Number of COVID-19 infected persons hit more than 430,000 on 15 September with the less infection rate than the previous month. PyinOoLwin dubbed as Flower City, Travel City and Education City faced halting of business triggered by infection of the pandemic.
Only when infection rate declines will the restrictions be eased. So, all need to strive for declining of the infection rate.
As the third wave of the disease was high with the infection rate in June and July, the Senior General himself led the central management measures for taking the preventive, containment and treatment measures in order to control the rapid infection rate and effectively undertake prevention, control and treatment tasks. Consequently, decline of infection rate can be seen to some extent at present.
Hence, supervision and inspection must be done in all sectors. It must be actual decline butdata.
Although emphasis was placed on prevention of COVID-19 in early year, effective measures could not done due to shortage of health staff. Public service personnel must stay away from party politics and must have knowledge about difference of staff duties from the party politics.
Although the government can understand CDM activities and absence of duty due to threats of unscrupulous persons, personal political concepts should not bring loss to the education, health and other sectors of the State. Hence, health staff members were invited to rejoin the workplaces through announcements.
The State Administration Council especially emphasizes purchase of vaccines for prevention and control of the disease.
Thanks to the earnest efforts of the government, vaccines purchased from foreign countries arrive in Myanmar one batch after another with the plan to complete vaccination for 50 percent of the total population of the country at the end of this year. Moreover, machinery related to production of oxygen and oxygen cylinders were imported in various ways and means, and factories at home produce oxygen, exceeding the needed volume at present.
Efforts must be made to remedy economic decline impacted by COVID-19 in Mandalay Region. Per capita income must be earned. As there have been land, market and other opportunities, the region needs to engage in systematic agricultural and livestock breeding undertakings. Myanmar has 15 million acres of monsoon paddy plantations. If one acre yields 100 baskets of paddy, the total amount will be good enough for 100 million people. Mandalay Region has about 700,000 acres of monsoon paddy plantations.
With a population of about 6 million, Mandalay can have just over 50.3 percent rice sufficiency.
Extended land will be costly.
So, per-yield must be increased.
To do so, agricultural knowledge must be widened. The region can earn money from beans and oil crops. If food is bought with this income, internal cash flow will reach outside delaying regional development.
Therefore, efforts must be exerted for increased yield in the region itself, thereby accumulation wealth and prosperity. Through development and prosperity in various regions and states, the whole country will enjoy fruit as well. River-water pumping projects must be implemented to meet the needs of irrigation water. Eighty percent of the Ayeyawady River water is not used and flows to the sea. Therefore, such projects will be beneficial for agriculture and livestock breeding.
Mandalay Region has favourable conditions given by the nature to successfully implement solar power projects. The electricity needed for river-water pumping must be generated from solar energy. It is also important for clean global environment.
Systematic agricultural and livestock breeding tasks must be carried out.
The world relies on rice and wheat as a staple food. Myanmar raises poultry, cattle and fish.
The region needs to endeavour for thriving livestock breeding.
Livestock breeding is of various types such as distant range farming, pasturing and factory farming. Livestock breeding products need to be created as value-added products. As the country has to import milk and dairy products. So, measures must be taken to produce milk and dairy products as well as frozen meat and fish. And they also need to be distributed in other regions of the country and imported after being packed systematically. With good potential,
Mandalay Region must pay attention to the successful breeding of dairy cow.
Regional production of nutritious quality products will reduce prices and boost immunity good for health of consumers. Based on agriculture and livestock breeding, Myanmar should not be in food shortages. With consumption of meat, fish and vegetables in combination, people will improve their body immunity and health. Thus, focus must be placed on food security. Popular for Seintalone mango and oil products, Mandalay Region has already had a foothold in import market. Efforts must be made to produce fruits like banana and other crops with the use of modern technology.
High commodity prices come from high cost of production or imbalance between supply and demand. It is not natural for Myanmar to see high commodity prices as it is based on agriculture and livestock breeding.
So, responsible officials need to take control measures.
When it comes to urban planning in the region, it is also necessary to consider enough water supply and use, high education and health standards and good public transportation. Road construction must be in line with the international standards.
It is necessary to consider extension of roads with good exits and entrances in future.
Electric buses and electric circular trains and underground trains also should be included.
They are indeed future plans and the current government is assuming State duties temporarily.
So, the ongoing measures mainly target addressing the difficulties and the COVID-19 pandemic facing the people.
Long-term projects should be adopted for the future development of the country.
Regarding the development of PyinOoLwin, the Senior General said that PyinOoLwin is a city of tourism, education, and cherries internationally known for its fine background history.
Moreover, it is necessary to take measures to make it a city of health based on its pleasant climate and green and lush environs. It is also necessary to exert efforts to manufacture value-added high-quality products based on fundamental agricultural and livestock breeding industries and to carry out awareness-raising campaigns for the emergence of systematic businesses to do so. It is important to monitor the enclosure of agricultural land without hindering the ventilation and water flow as completely closed systems can damage the environment and soil. It is vital to launch awareness-raising campaigns on regulations to prevent the utilization of agricultural land of local people for other purposes and to use it in accordance with rules and regulations. It is essential to boost the production and marketing of local products including strawberries, damsons, coffee, persimmons and dairy products and others.
For the development of tourism, PyinOoLwin is busy with domestic and foreign tourists in all three seasons as it is a cool city with pleasant flowers and trees. Visiting the city, one can see that it is completely covered with trees. Although climate and seasons depend on forests, it is necessary to clear bushes and trees on both sides of roads for ventilation and visibility for health. However, trees are not to be felled completely but lower branches and undergrowth are to be cleared so that visitors can enjoy pleasant scenes and light. Efforts must be exerted for the development of the city through tourism. It is necessary to expand road areas to enable tourists to walk and to take measures for sanitation.
In addition, it is satisfactory to see that PyinOoLwin and Mandalay are education hubs.
Schools were reopened not to lag behind others in education but had to close temporarily again due the resurgence of COVID-19. Currently, the spread of the disease has fallen and schools will be reopened when the spread has been reduced to the targeted levels. Sports will be promoted and upgrading tasks are being carried out in sports grounds including soccer pits.
Efforts can be made to make PyinOoLwin a breeding ground for spots stars.
In endeavouring for national development, it is vital to narrow the gap between rural and urban areas as much as possible. If business and job opportunities for the people in rural areas, population density of urban areas can be reduced. In conclusion, the Senior General urged all to exert efforts to contribute to social, economic, health and regional development of regions one is assigned to and serve the interests of the country as much as possible.
After the meeting, the Senior General and party cordially greeted participating members of Mandalay Region and PyinOoLwin District administration councils, departmental personnel and town elders and chairmen (and members) of ward and village administration councils.