SHGs, entrepreneurs engage in virtual conference

SHILLONG: COVID has truly changed the way things are done.
In what can be called the new normal, self-help groups (SHGs) from different parts of Meghalaya are now participating in meetings through the virtual mode.
The Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA) on Saturday hosted a virtual conference with entrepreneurs and self-help groups involved in food processing activities across the state.
The online conference was held essentially to hear from the entrepreneurs and SHGs about the various challenges faced by them, especially in the wake of the COVID crisis, and to understand how MBMA could help address these challenges through the Meghalaya Livelihoods and Access to Markets Project (Megha-LAMP).
Megha-LAMP is an externally-aided project of the state government, which is partly supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Officials from the Meghalaya Institute of Entrepreneurship (MIE) and the Meghalaya State Rural Livelihoods Society (MSRLS), directorate of food processing, and entrepreneurs and SHGs from across the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills regions of the state were present at the virtual conference.
As many as 55 entrepreneurs and SHGs participated.
Taking active part in the virtual conference, chief minister Conrad Sangma discussed extensively the issues faced by the entrepreneurs and SHGs.
Sangma also discussed with individual SHGs and entrepreneurs about possible solutions to the problems faced by
) them and the support that could be extended through various government functionaries.
The chief minister commended the initiative of the MBMA in its effort to address big concerns of the entrepreneurs.
Stating that entrepreneurs are the drivers of the state’s progress, Sangma said the government was trying its best to respond by creating eco-systems which work as catalysts towards providing solutions to the problems faced.The virtual conference was a demonstration of how the government is adapting to the prevailing COVID crisis and ensuring that the voices of people at the grassroots are heard, and citizens are involved in governance.
MBMA is a not-for-profit company incorporated under the planning department of the state government.
It is the implementing agency of the Megha-LAMP and Community Led Landscape Management Project (CLLMP), which cover over 2000 villages across all districts of the state.
These projects aim at promoting integrated natural resource management and focused livelihoods enhancement through enterprise development, market access and linkage, and knowledge services.