Tura, April 2: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, today launched the Pilot Project on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Approach for Restoration of Ganol Catchment worth Rs 1.20 crores.
He also distributed cheques to the producer groups under the FOCUS in the presence of Chief Adviser to the Chief Minister, Thomas A Sangma, Government Chief Whip, Marcuise N Marak.
Launching the project, the Chief Minister said, “Today, we are seeing so much of degradation of forests and most of the water bodies are drying up and the people are not getting enough water supply.”
Stating that climate is changing and at the same time livelihood options are also getting less, he said that in this situation the government had to come out with a programme that would be able to address all these issues and hence the programme for PES was made.
“In this project the government will be not only telling the public about the different policies and different actions that they should undertake but also helping them financially to be able to make up for the loss of livelihood or the challenges that they might face in the process and at the same time to ensure that the government works in collaboration with the community to be able to build trust and faith and be able to work together to find a solution to different environmental problems,” the CM said.
The chief minister also informed that the state government was planning to have 4200 square kilometre catchment areas in the state and informed that the government would provide all necessary help and support to the people through various departments to improve their livelihood.
In his address, the Chief Adviser to the CM, Thomas A Sangma, lauded the Chief Minister for the noble initiative and sought the cooperation and support of the people for the successful implementation of the pilot project.
The Government Chief Whip, Marcuise N Marak, urged the villagers to take initiatives for preservation of catchment areas of Ganol river and sought the cooperation and support of the people to restore the natural environment.
