By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, April 9: In a significant outreach effort, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday visited Syntung village in Mawkynrew Block to engage deeply with the local communities, aiming towards inclusive development and empowerment of the people of Meghalaya.
His visit focused on a series of impactful interactions and conversations, on themes such as, agricultural transformation, youth empowerment, self-help groups and government welfare schemes designed to uplift rural life.
The day began with a heartfelt interaction with members of the Jatah IVCS on the way to Syntung, where the chief minister was warmly received by local leaders and residents.
The Jatah and Syntung IVCS is a society initiated by the Megha-LAMP, which is a state-wide project of the government. The society has covered at least 155 households out of the 165 total households and mainly focuses on providing financial services, economic opportunities and addressing other essential needs of the community through collective efforts.
The second stop of the day was the walk to Wahrashi waterfalls, where the chief minister was welcomed by a local band.
Sangma performed along with the local band and also sanctioned Rs 5 lakhs to upgrade their instruments and other equipment.
He also met with locals to discuss potential for promoting tourism, building architecture like tourist information centre, community kitchen and washrooms, restaurants with waterfall view and such other amenities that would contribute to sustainable economic growth.
One of the day’s key highlights was a visit to the strawberry farms, where Sangma interacted with local farmers who have embraced this high-value crop.
It is pertinent to note that Meghalaya ranks fifth in India in strawberry production, and to further boost the state’s strawberry production, the state government distributed over 1.28 million strawberry plants to 1,175 farmers in 2024-25.
During his visit, the chief minister informed that an additional investment of Rs 3 crore for strawberry cultivation will be made across the state.
“My visits to rural areas are not just about listening to your problems, but also about fostering a stronger relationship between the government and our farmers. I want to hear your suggestions and concerns, so we can work together to drive meaningful development,” Sangma said, reacting to his maiden visit to Syntung village.
“We have been working tirelessly to support our people in rural areas. In 2018, we had 5,000 self-help groups, but today, we have over 50,000 SHGs. Our funding has also increased significantly, from Rs 30 crore to Rs 1,000 crores”, Sangma added.
He also informed that the state government is setting up a Farmers’ Market in Jatah to address the challenges of market linkages.
“We are also committed to supporting our farmers through the CM ASSURE initiative. We have allocated a fund of Rs 100 crore to purchase broom grass directly from our farmers. This initiative has already benefited over 3,500 farmers, and in Mawkynrew, we have acquired 25 metric tons of broomgrass,” he said.
Further, the youth representative from the Sports Club in Jatah requested for better infrastructure development, particularly for the football ground and gallery.
To this, Sangma reiterated his commitment to strengthen the sports infrastructure through Mission Football 2.0 as well as, his focus on skill-building, entrepreneurship and leadership development through YESS Meghalaya.
A relief to local farmers in Syntung has come from the CM ELEVATE-Agri-Vehicle Scheme. By providing farmers with vehicles to transport their produce to markets, the scheme has reduced costs, improved accessibility, and boosted the region’s agricultural output.
In Syntung, people are actively involved in agriculture, and to develop it as an agro-tourism destination, the state government, as part of the CM ASSURE initiative, will set up cold storage and a processing unit to tackle the challenge of high-crop perishability.
In the block, as of April 2025, 167 applications have been approved and a total of Rs 11,02,860 has been disbursed among 26 farmers.
To improve the rural infrastructure, the chief minister declared that Rs 5 lakh will be allocated from the Chief Minister’s Special Development Fund for the construction of a Village Office (VO).
Additionally, the issue of timely wage distribution for job card holders under MGNREGA was also addressed, where the chief minister assured that wages would be distributed on time, with no delays, and that the issue would be resolved before Easter.
As the visit concluded, Sangma addressed the gathering, reiterating his vision for an economically, environmentally and overall prosperous Meghalaya.
His speech touched upon the importance of agriculture, women’s empowerment, youth engagement and the welfare schemes that are improving the quality of life for the people of Meghalaya.