TURA: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma launched its Livestock Mission at a gala event in Tura on Thursday.
The State government has allotted Rs 1,094 crore for the mission for a five-year period.
“Under this mission, people can start poultry, piggery and other livestock projects and uplift their economy. It will also address the issue of poor health in villages, particularly that of children and expectant mothers,” said Sangma at the conference of Village Employment Councils (VECs) of Garo Hills.
The chief minister was referring to the problem of anaemia that is prevalent among children and pregnant women in rural areas due to deficiency of protein.
The conference on innovation and convergence organised by the Community and Rural Development Department at Dikki Bandi Staidum in Tura is the first of its kind to be held in Garo Hills.
Sangma said the Government would provide Rs 1 lakh convergence fund “for any project identified by VECs that has completed 80 percent of person days”. Also, the project management cost is being raised from the current 1 percent to 2 percent with a ceiling of Rs 20,000.
“Each elected legislator will get Rs 5 lakh for use in convergence works of MGNREGS,” the chief minister added.
There was good news for areca nut growers too. The Government will give out 1 million areca nut and Agar saplings to farmers who have taken up its plantation and two organic compost factories, one of which will be in North Garo Hills, is soon going to come up.
Commissioner and Secretary of C&RD Department P. Sampath Kumar said convergence and innovation under MGNREGS has helped in creating durable assets at the village level.
The government aims to take the ‘bottom 20’ in each village for providing individual assets such as piggery and poultry, among others, under the mission that would be in convergence with VECs.
“The aim of the government is to ensure every household has two livestock within the next five years,” said Kumar.
He highlighted the dangers of climate change and said the State Government under its ‘Sustainable Development’ project will take up water harvesting and conservation in a big way.
“As many as 7,000 spring-sheds are going to be revived through MGNREGS under the Sustainable Development project,” said Kumar.