NONGPOH: The two-day first ever Amkyrbai Poshan Festival held at Jirang Community Reserve & Amkyrbai Lake in Jirang Constituency, concluded on Thursday amidst great fervour.
The festival was organized by the Syiem of Hima Jirang in collaboration with the Block Task Force BBBP, Jirang Block and the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) of Ri Bhoi District.
Through this festival, the organizers aimed at creating mass awareness on gender equality, improving nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers, eradicating child abuse in any forms as well as other aspects of promoting a girl child.
Meghalaya State Planning Board Chairman, Lambor Malngiang attended the closing ceremony of the festival as chief guest. He was accompanied by the local MDC of Jirang Constituency, Victor Rani, Vice Chairman of State Planning Board, Rayonald Kharkamni, Project Director of DRDA, BJ Kharshandi .
Syiem of Hima Jirang, Pa’iem RH Wahlang, Jirang C&RD Block BDO, Mr D. Syiemiong and other officers of District line departments and prominent leaders of the area were present in the festival beside thousands of local people.
Addressing the gathering, Lambor Malngiang lauded the scenic beauty of the Amkyrbai Lake and that it was a perfect area for promoting tourism to boost the income and the economy of the local people. He stated that the area needed further improvement and infrastructure facilities to attract tourists from across the globe.
Being a person who is quite familiar with Jirang constituency, Malngiang stated that if there was proper infrastructure, this location would be a perfect getaway for tourist considering its vicinity to the Airport and Guwahati city. He urged the Syiem of Hima Jirang and the organizers to have a close understanding with the local MLA and the local MDC of Jirang constituency in order to bring forward developmental schemes for beautification of this location.
He also stated, now that as NGT has imposed banned on coal mining in the state, there is a need to find alternative solutions to it, and that tourism sector is one of the options that the people of the state should take advantage as Meghalaya has a lot of potential in this sector considering its unique scenery and cultural diversity.
Malngiang raised the alarm that now-a-days, drugs have penetrated deep not only in cities but even in remote villages. He, therefore, urged a holistic approach from the people at large to take steps in eradicating this menace which not only affected the concerned family of the addicted persons but the society at large.
Others who also spoke on the occasion include the MDC of Jirang, Victor Rani, Project Director of DRDA,B J Kharshandi, the Syiem of Hima Jirang, Pa’iem RH Wahlang.