NONGPOH: The annual passing out ceremony of the 44th Batch Field Assistant Training Course 2016-2017 organized by the Soil and Water Conservation Department at the Conservation Training Institute at Byrnihat in Ri Bhoi District of Meghalaya was held on Friday with Minister of Soil and Water Conservation, Ronnie V Lyngdoh gracing the occasion as Chief Guest.
Fourty-three trainees, including a woman, passed out from this institution after eleven months of rigorous training to equip themselves on the various aspect of soil and water conservation including the study of the latest environmental laws.
Speaking on the occasion, Ronnie V. Lyngdoh, Minister in-charge of Soil and Water Conservation urged the passing out Field Assistants to work hard and dedicate their services for an improved rural economy.
“The greatest satisfaction amongst the government employees should be to be able to help the people particularly those residing the rural areas”.
He also emphasised the field assistants to use the knowledge of what they have learned from the training to play a pivotal role in conservation of soil and water.
“Due to ongoing destruction of environment we have faced a change in seasons and in climate” said Lyngdoh, adding that as the trainees they should play a crucial part to create mass awareness among the local people to preserve our environment as to get rid of climate change” he added.
He further termed that the officers of the Soil and Water Conservation Department as visionary personalities, as they were able to establish the Conservation Training Institute at Byrnihat to cater to the need of the State and the neighboring States of the North Easter Region.
He said besides having dreams, hope could be another driving force to help government employees to carry on with their work. He said the element of hope would always help people to be optimistic in their work and hopelessness would only have a negative impact.
The former Additional Director of Soil and Water Conservation Department, W. Rymbai stressed on the need for professionalism and perfection, as highly developed technology could help achieve this end.
Things could be monitored with the help of the technology and the people on the ground would no longer give the wrong information due to the availability of this technological wonder, he said.
He also said that the institute had imparted the knowledge of Natural Resource Management with a vision to sustain the environment and productivity from every square inch of land.
Earlier, the office of the soil and water conservation had also awarded mementoes and certificates to the trainees who have successfully passed the training which were handed over to the trainees by Ronnie V. Lyngdoh.