Tura, Dec 5: With its eye on the upcoming Assembly elections next year, the Meghalaya Government on Monday continued with its aggressive rural welfare push with CM Conrad K Sangma today distributing funds under FOCUS+ Programme at Jengjal, West Garo Hills District, which is the largest ever Direct Benefit Transfer in Meghalaya, ensuring farmers’ prosperity towards promoting sustainable livelihood.
According to a government press release issued here, Rs.30,00,00,000 (Rupees Thirty Crores) have been directly transferred to 60,000 producer households under the’ FOCUS +’. The ‘FOCUS+’ initiative has been designed to provide benefit to all producer households across Meghalaya. It is an extension of Meghalaya’s biggest farmers welfare program ‘FOCUS’ (Farmers Collectivization for Upscaling Production and Marketing System). The two schemes (Focus and Focus+) will provide farming households of Meghalaya a financial advantage of ₹10,000 per household.
Speaking on this historic occasion the Chief Minister said, “Welfare of farmers have always been a priority of our government. I am glad to share that several farmers have been benefited through FOCUS scheme. We will keep supporting you through such innovative schemes. Our dream and vision is to ensure that FOCUS and FOCUS+ Programmes continue every year. If we transfer 450 crores every year into the most economically weaker section of our society and keep transferring this amount every year, in a matter of 10 years an amount of 4500 crores will be infused into the economy, then imagine the cash flow that would be available to the farmers. Today we have transferred Rs. 30 crores to 60000 households. Our target is 4.5 lakhs producer households.”
Moreover, 11 VPICs of Rongram received Rs. 1.48 crores under Meglife Project for construction of Community Hall and 9 SHGs received a sum of Rs.11 Lakhs.
Under the Rural Backyard Piggery Scheme, ‘PROGRESS’, 2000 piglets (3 females and 1 male each) were distributed to 500 farmer households. The ‘PROGRESS’ scheme aims at ensuring sustainable livelihood of farmers through different livestock farming activities. This scheme is envisaged to benefit 10,000 marginal farmers as well as increasing pork and poultry production in the state. Also, high yielding variety of Kuroiler poultry birds were distributed to 100 beneficiaries
The Chief Minister also wished the farmers on Meghalaya Farmer’s Day and reiterated that these funds which are being transferred to the producer households are not Loans, but they are Grants.
