Meghalaya launches Rural Devp 3.0 Vision Document
SHILLONG, Oct 28: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Friday launched the Rural Development 3.0 Vision Document during the valedictory function of the two-week long training programme of the Junior Rural Development Officers (JRDOs) whose orientation programme concluded here on Friday. According to a statement, the Rural Development 3.0 Vision Document has been initiated with an “objective to go beyond the existing initiatives under Rural Development 2.0 and extend the efforts in shaping the state’s rural economy to be self-sufficient, resilient and future-oriented.” Addressing the gathering as the chief guest, the chief minister deemed this development as a massive revolution that will enhance collaboration and inter-departmental convergence in the interest of community and rural development. Referring to the role of the newly recruited JRDOs, who completed first phase of their training, the CM said that this is an important step taken by the state to set up a dedicated cadre to cater to several rural needs of the state. Principal Secretary of C&RD department Sampath Kumar, who was also part of the programme, said that the vision document for Rural Development 3.0 is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Meghalaya which lays out significant goals across four core dimensions — economy, human development, environment and local governance. It may be noted that Meghalaya is using the principles of State Capability Enhancement Project (SCEP) to operationalise the vision of RD 3.0. A key guiding principle of SCEP is facilitating collaborative and local problem-solving, and, in the process, building systems that are more responsive to development needs and can support a long-term, sustained transformation of the state.
Central recognition for NEHU
SHILLONG, Oct 28: The Centre has recognised the Shillong and Tura campuses of North-Eastern Hill University as Host Institutes (HI) from Meghalaya under the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ministry. According to a statement, NEHU is the only academic institution in Meghalaya recognised as HI by the Government of India. “The MSME works with an objective to encourage entrepreneurship, employment and livelihood opportunities to enhance overall competitiveness of the Indian industries. Recently, the Ministry had launched the MSME Hackathon 2.0 on the different theme areas related to the agriculture sector, healthcare, power, information technology, service, environment, circular economy etc. The scheme was launched on October 2, 2022. The due date for submission of proposal was October 14, which was further extended to November 14 by the Ministry,” the statement said. It may be mentioned that the idea of the MSME Hackathon is based in line with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, where entrepreneurs are basis of social change who fill in the gaps and find viable solutions to meet the needs of the country. “The University constituted a committee headed by Prof. AP Pati, Dean, School of SEMIS, NEHU, to work on proposal submissions for the Hackathon. Till date, 24 innovative ideas in different theme areas have been submitted from both Shillong and Tura campuses and more are in pipeline. The ideas include proposals for value added fermented foods and beverages, digital mapping of crops, sustainable fashion ideas, digital solution for potable water dispensing, transportation facilitation for differently-abled and elderly persons, innovative low-cost healthcare devices and best practices in IT sector,” the statement said. NEHU Vice Chancellor Prof. PS Shukla has also exhorted the NEHU community, affiliated colleges, stakeholders and indigenous people to take proactive participation in the a MSME Hackathon 2.0 and share their innovative ideas with solutions to the different problems of Meghalaya for long-term benefit of the society.