Cheques distributed under Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana
Shillong, July 26: The enterprise ecosystem in the state has improved a lot with the government making a difference in the lives of individuals, farmers, youth and women, chief minister Conrad K Sangma said on Friday.
Inaugurating a Summit for Rural Empowerment organised by Meghalaya Basin Development Society at State Convention Centre on Friday, Sangma recalled the year 2018 when he first assumed office as chief minister and said then the state lacked a strong ecosystem for development of enterprises.
“Today it gives me great satisfaction to see the difference we are able to make in the lives of individuals, farmers, youth and women folk,” he said.
Stating that despite the state having the resources, the government lacked in providing the institutional network to unlock the potential, he said, “Today we engage with about 55,000 self-help groups impacting about five lakh women through this strong institution.”
He also informed that 22,000 farmer producer groups (FPCs) comprising about 2 lakh farmers are being engaged with regularly to provide them the support to increase their incomes and revenues.
Different programmes based on situations and difficulties have been designed by the government to provide the relief and support in times of need, he said while referring to CM Assure, a targeted market intervention initiative that helps farmers during distress and market price inconsistencies.
“Through CM Assure, we have spent about Rs 50 crore providing support to broomstick farmers, areca nut farmers and thousands of farmers who would have been in distress,” he said.
Through programmes like CM Farm Plus, that ensures timely, quality seeds, farmers all over the state are being benefitted.
Addressing the occasion, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said Meghalaya is making significant progress in transforming rural lives.
“To achieve the goal of doubling farmers’ income, the government of Meghalaya has adopted a grass roots led approach rooted in sustainable agriculture, value addition and strong market linkages,” she said.
She also stated that Agriculture in Meghalaya is deeply inter twined with the forests and indigenous knowledge systems with communities for long being dependant on non-timber forest produces.
“Forest products like broom grass, jackfruit, wild honey, bay leaves, mushroom, sohiong and sohphlang are rich resources that have supported rural livelihoods but remain underutilized due to gaps in processing and market accesses,” she said.
The minister also informed that 169 VDBKs (Van Dhan Vikas Kendra) under the Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY) have been sanctioned, directly benefitting 50,000 beneficiaries across the state.
VDBKs receive Rs 15 lakh in support for equipment, training, packaging and working capital to further strengthen the grassroots enterprises.
Cheques amounting to Rs 3.9 crore were distributed to VDVKs on the occasion.
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with 13 leading technical and research institutions were also signed and exchanged during the inaugural session.
The Summit for Rural Empowerment was organized leveraging the Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) wherein 100% grant-in-aid is provided by the Centre to Tribal Cooperative Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED).
