WKH beneficiaries confused if FOCUS money is grant or loan

NONGSTOIN, Jan 30: Most of the producer groups which have availed the FOCUS and FOCUS+ schemes in West Khasi Hills are now in dilemma over FOCUS being a grant or loan.
The cause of this confusion among the beneficiaries is the allegations made by political parties that FOCUS scheme is not a grant but a loan that the beneficiaries will have to repay in the future.
Clearing the doubts of farmers, Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA) Project Manager in West Khasi Hills, Rodonald Majaw, said that funds that are released under FOCUS and FOCUS + are not loans.
“We use the EPIC house number and job card number to verify that each member from a group belongs to a different family member,” Majaw said.
He maintained that FOCUS is meant for producer groups and there is no favouritism in terms of distribution of funds.