“We (the current administration) hope to provide the best policies and strategies, both long term and short term, for the economic development of the region and raise the nation’s GDP’s as a whole.”
( Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung )
MANDALAY, an ancient region where generations of kings inhabited . Min Shin Saw from Bagan resided in the foothills of the mountain there and as its backdrop, translates to “Where good fortunes resides”. Located in the heart of Myanmar, it is bordered by Shan State in the East, Sagaing and Magway in the West, Bago and Kayin in the South and Sagaing again in the south.
Mandalay City is the capital of Mandalay Regional and houses the royal palace. Bagan, united Myanmar’s first city is located in Mandalay Region with close proximity to Nay Pyi Taw, the Nation’s current capital city. After Yangon, Mandalay is the largest city in Myanmar and is located in central Myanmar with roads that connect to neighboring India and China.
The Mandalay Regional Government took over April 1, 2016 with an oath to protect and serve the residents and develop the region’s health, education and economic sectors. “We (the current administration) hope to provide the best policies and strategies, both long term and short term-for the economic development of the region and raise the nation’s GDP’s as a whole,” claims the Mandalay Region Chief Minister Dr. Zaw Myint Maung. Mandalay contributes greatly to the economic development of the nation, particularly through agriculture, small and medium business enterprises and tourism. “No only do we need the right monetary policies to encourage business and their success, we also have to improve our human resources by expanding the skill-sets of our workforce,” adds the Mandalay Region Chief Minister. The Mandalay administration is also working with local organizations and the general public to uphold rule of law and peace within the villages.
Within the 3rd year of the current administration, the government spent K13918 million through the Mandalay City Development Committee in 6 townships paving old roads and building new roads, erecting bridges and digging trenches. Additionally, over K20 billion were spent on building low-cost housing for sale to government staff, company employees and the general public. A Precast factory was also constructed and expanded in the 2018-19 financial year with a cost of K3 billion. Other spending on public infrastructure includes an additional K1.4 billion on building platforms, redoing the waterways, painting the city and other 250 maintenance projects.
The Village Development Program was also made feasible with K2.6 billion from the Union and K1.5 billion through public donations.
A further K41.9 billion was dedicated to provide 521 villages with electricity through building new transformers, installing switch bays and connecting new lines to the power grid. Currently, 3647 villages out of 4799 have access to electricity in the Mandalay Regional with plans to provide the whole region with electricity by 2020.
“In addition to economic development, it is also important to pay attention to our history and culture so it doesn't disappear as we build new structures. The best way for that is to have proper laws and regulations that works best for the city and its history on our way to development,” comments the Mandalay Region Chief Minister.
The Mandalay Regional Administration is also working towards combating drug usage in line with the president’s policy.
Regarding education, there were additional renovations for the schools as well as new academic buildings, distribution of free school uniforms and stationery and classes for ethnic languages. New community health centers such as for mothers and children and additional village community health departments have also been added to the government’s health network with K870 million in funds for the 2018-19 financial year for village development. Private companies have also been donating money to help fund vaccines and other medical equipment worth K829 million.
The main investors in the region are from China, Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Japan. The Mandalay Investment Committee announced that during the past year, China invested US$8.4 million in 2 projects, US$Korea 2 million in one and other 12 investments in 8 industries worth K25 billion and K16 million in the Hotels and Tourism industry. The Chief Minister of Mandalay comments that these foreign investments are expected to create more than 2000 jobs for the Myanmar workforce.
Lastly, the administration has taken several precautions against the unpredictable natural disasters with 5 fiber boats and a Wheel Loader in case of floods and/or earthquakes. There have been 76 workshops and educational seminars for responding to earthquakes with 18460 people in attendance and 9 earthquake simulation activities. The Regional Disaster Management Committee has also contributed K147 million for the 192 cases of natural disasters in the regional with the past year. “There is an additional K2.6 billion reserve in case of natural disasters so that we can dispatch help immediately, especially in places like Pyin Oo Lwin, Yemethin, and Myin Chan,” comments the Chief Minister of Mandalay. Located in the central part of Myanmar, the first publicly elected government of Mandalay is maximizing the resources blessed on the golden land for raising the standards of the people through economic development in the Mandalay Region.
By Nanda Win
PHOTO: BO BO
Translated by Myat Thu
