Ampati, March 7: Reiterating his government’s commitment to strengthening the farmers’ economy and expanding the state’s forest cover, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Saturday distributed financial assistance to beneficiaries of the FOCUS+ and Green Meghalaya+ programmes at a special event held at Student’s Field in Ampati.
The programme, organised by the South West Garo Hills District Administration, brought together farmers, community leaders and public representatives from across the district.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister highlighted the impact of the FOCUS+ programme, launched in July 2022 to provide direct financial support of ₹5,000 annually to eligible producer households across the state. The scheme follows a “one beneficiary per household” policy to ensure fairness and prevent duplication.
During its initial rollout in 2022–23, the programme benefited 1,50,662 households with a total disbursement of ₹75.33 crore. Following a verification process integrated with the Meghalaya One Portal, 93,285 beneficiaries were confirmed as eligible, while those removed were allowed to reapply through the system.
Payments for 2023–24 were temporarily delayed as the government strengthened the verification mechanism. Subsequently, two instalments of ₹2,500 each were released in August and December 2025, amounting to ₹46.64 crore.
For the 2024–25 cycle, the government has begun releasing the first instalment of ₹2,500 to 93,285 verified beneficiaries along with 11,133 newly verified households from the Garo Hills region. With this addition, a total of 1,04,418 households are now receiving support under the scheme. Overall, ₹148.08 crore has been disbursed through FOCUS+ so far.
In the Garo Hills region, the current tranche will benefit 81,046 households, including the newly verified beneficiaries, with ₹20.26 crore being released across the five districts. In South West Garo Hills district, 14,017 beneficiaries will receive a total of ₹3.50 crore.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the Green Meghalaya+ initiative, which provides incentives ranging from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000 per hectare to forest owners and communities for conserving forests under the Payment for Ecosystem Services concept.
Sangma noted that Meghalaya has nearly 17,000 square kilometres of forest cover and that the government aims to conserve one lakh hectares under the programme. So far, more than 2,800 beneficiaries have conserved nearly 40,000 hectares of forest land across the state.
A total of ₹77.21 crore has already been disbursed under Green Meghalaya+, including ₹34.73 crore in the Garo Hills region, while around ₹48 crore will be released to beneficiaries in the current phase.
In South West Garo Hills, incentives worth ₹48.23 lakh are being distributed to beneficiaries from Rerapara, Zikzak and Betasing blocks for conserving 551.18 hectares of forest land.
Speaking at the event, Rangsakona MLA Subir M. Marak reiterated the government’s commitment to uplifting communities through schemes such as FOCUS+ and Green Meghalaya+, stating that efforts are ongoing to ensure financial assistance reaches people across the region.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of South West Garo Hills Anendya Raajsshre, IAS, welcomed guests and thanked community leaders, artists and volunteers for contributing to the success of the programme.
Beneficiaries of both schemes also shared their experiences, highlighting how the initiatives have strengthened livelihoods while promoting forest conservation. Selected beneficiaries received cheques under the FOCUS+ and Green Meghalaya+ programmes.
The programme was attended by Salmanpara MLA Ian Botham K. Sangma, Mahendraganj MLA Sanjay A. Sangma, local MDCs, district officials, community leaders and beneficiaries from across the district.
