SHILLONG/ JOWAI, Nov 5: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Friday said the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government is implementing schemes of the past governments in the state with renewed commitment to ensure that the benefits reach the people and has disbursed Rs 124 crore in the last three and half years to self-help groups (SHGs) to enhance the livelihood of women and ensure their financial stability.
He said that the MDA government has institutionalised the SHG movement in the state with the objective to make the women’s groups the “front end’ of the government.
SHGs can create miracles in the state, change the dynamics of livelihood, health and education sectors, he said.
“In the last three and a half years, the MDA government has distributed 124 crore to SHGs through the National Rural Livelihood Mission … From Rs 35 crore in the ten years (prior to 2018) to Rs 124 crore in three and half years (since MDA came to power) … In 10 years loans amounting to Rs 12 crore were distributed, while in the last three and half years loans of Rs 66 crore were distributed in the state,” Conrad said at a SHG mela at Thadlaskein in West Jaintia Hills.
The MDA government aims to improve the efficiency and delivery mechanism of governance. It has achieved that its schemes reach more people through efficient delivery. “We have ensured that the efficiency level has gone up which has enabled us to help lakhs of people,” he added. The chief minister distributed loans of Rs 82 lakh to 82 SHGs sanctioned by Meghalaya Rural Bank (MRB), the nodal bank for implementation of the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) in the state.
During the programme, the chief minister also distributed Rs 56.5 lakh of Community Investment Fund to 11 Village Organisations (VOs) for 113 SHGs besides Rs 15 lakh from Vulnerability Reduction Fund to 15 VOs.
He also distributed cheques amounting to Rs 29.90 lakh to 46 producer groups impacting over 500 farmers in West Jaintia Hills District under Framers’ Collectivisation for Upscaling Marketing Systems, which is Meghalaya’s biggest farmers’ welfare programme.