Tura, Oct 19: The first installment of payments to Village PES Committees (PES) under the PES Pilot Project for the Ganol Catchment was recently presented by Minister of Forest and Environment, James P K Sangma, at Oragitok in West Garo Hills.
It may be mentioned that the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Pilot Project for the Restoration of Ganol Catchment, the first initiative of its kind in India, was launched on April 2, this year in the State by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
The distribution of first instalment of PES amount to the participating village communities became due after completion of first stage which included actions such as identifying lands for the activities, surveys and mapping, signing of agreements, opening of bank account, initial briefing about the management practices etc.
Out of the 20 villages that were selected along the Ganol Catchment for the Pilot Project, 18 VPCs were presented with the first instalment of payment by the Minister.
Speaking during the presentation, James expressed his joy in seeing the voluntary spirit of the communities in taking up Conservation and Restoration activities in their own villages. He also lauded the leadership of the Nokmas in encouraging the communities to look towards the future and conserving the Forest cover for the benefit of the younger generations.
The Minister also re-iterated that many states in India as well as few countries have shown interest in the implementation of PES in Meghalaya and that the Government would extend the PES Project to the other major catchment areas in the State such as Simsang and Umiew.
The Minister was accompanied by GHADC CEM, Albinush Marak as well as the Director & Co-Chairman of the Centre of Excellence, Dr. Subhash Ashutosh, who had been pivotal in conducting studies and preparing the framework for the PES Pilot Project.
Currently the total area covered under the PES pilot project in the Ganol Catchment is over 750 ha. A total of over INR 15 Lakhs was paid to the VPCs as part of the First Instalment on the occasion.
