From Our Correspondent
TURA: A group of high-level officials and experts working on the implementation of the Integrated Basin Development & Livelihood Promotion Programme (IBDLP), a flagship programme of the Government of Meghalaya, arrived in Tura on Thursday afternoon and held a meeting with the district heads of departments to identify and discuss the key challenges in Garo Hills.
Setting the tone for the meeting with his keynote address, Consultant for the Planning Commission of India, Harsh Shrivastava discussed on the key challenges being faced in the region and how these problems can be solved under the aegis of the Basin Development project.
The visiting officials opined that the basin development programme is an example of working in a more organized way and that both the administration and NGOs need to be partners in the process.
Earlier, the Deputy Commissioner, West Garo Hills Pravin Bakshi gave a power-point presentation on the district profile and the objectives and key interventions under the basin development programme and also highlighted on the nagging problems of the district, including the frequent power failure in Garo Hills.
After intensive deliberations and interaction between the visiting officials and the officials of various line departments, the meeting identified the stress areas and discussed on the action plans to deal with the problems.
The “output-oriented” meeting discussed and decided upon six action plans, setting the deadline of six months to fulfill them.
These action plans include setting up of common facility centre for entrepreneurship; refrigeration centre/mobile collection centre for horticulture products; farmer enrolment for organic certification for any one cluster; issue of Government Order for appointment of LT/HT linesmen to overcome the shortage of manpower in MeECL; survey of all unused existing government buildings in the district to create a reusable building bank and identification of stress zones on all road stretches.
Officers from different line departments were entrusted with the responsibility for taking up these actions within the stipulated time.
Other members of the team included Palash Shrivastav, Prabir Bannerjee, Gautam Goswami and Pankaj Barman. Earlier, the Addl DC and Project Director DRDA, Tura Ambrose C. Marak welcomed the members in the meeting and also stressed on skill up-gradation and capacity building of the educated unemployed youths to offset the problems of unemployment.