SHILLONG, Sept 7: Meghalaya government has doled out Rs 20 crore to all districts of Meghalaya in order to “support” 4,676 self-help groups and “impact” 46,700 households in the state.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday visited Mawryngkneng, during which he inaugurated the Mawryngkneng CHC in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong and Mawryngkneng MLA Pynaid Sing Syiem.
“Women were facing a lot of maternity-related problems like death during childbirth, multiple pregnancies, high-risk pregnancies, anemia etc, and there were many reasons attributed to these problems,” he said.
The bed capacity at Mawryngkneng CHC has been increased from six to thirty and efforts will be taken to make the CHC conduct specialised services, the chief minister said.
He also informed that the MOTHER (Meghalaya’s Outcome and Transformation in Health, Education and Rural Sector) programme was conceptualised to take care of the health, education and rural empowerment of women.g
Conrad, during his visit, also inaugurated a transit home for high-risk expectant women. “These transit homes give shelter, food and medical care so that they (expectant women) can have safe institutional deliveries and today we have 180 transit homes across the state, giving service and care to the high-risk mothers and those who live in far-flung areas,” he added.
The chief minister also attended a self-help group (SHG) mela in Mawryngkneng, during which he sanctioned an amount of Rs 20 crore as Community Investment Fund (CIF), which will be transferred to 896 village organisations (VOs) across the state.
The chief minister said that the funds, through the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), “will benefit 4,676 SHGs and impact 46,700 households in the state.”
In addition to Community Investment Fund, bank loan of Rs five lakh was also sanctioned to five SHGs from Mawrynkneng.
Asserting that the self-help group (SHG) movement has empowered women of rural Meghalaya, Conrad said, “This is an achievement that most states in the country have not been able to achieve and this has been possible only because of the hard work that has been put in by the officials and the active participation of the women of our state,” he said.
It is pertinent to note that out of the 20 crore, Rs four crore has been sanctioned for East Khasi Hills.
The Community Investment Fund is monetary assistance provided to SHGs through village organisations to support SHG members in taking up various income-generating activities.
Earlier, en route Mawryngkneng, the chief minister also interacted with students and teachers from Presbyterian Secondary School, Mawlyngngad, St Mazarello Secondary School, Mawlyngngad, Mt Zion Secondary School, Sohryngkham, and Green Hills Secondary School, Sohryngkham.
