SHILLONG, July 31: In a bid to promote entrepreneurship among Ex-Servicemen (ESMs) in Meghalaya, the Directorate of Sainik Welfare—supported by the Veteran’s Cell of the 101 Area Headquarters—is actively collaborating with various government agencies and financial institutions.
The initiative aims to raise awareness about government schemes designed to help ESMs start a second career by establishing their own businesses and enterprises. Several ex-servicemen have already benefited from these efforts, having successfully launched ventures such as car wash centers, homestays, and fishery ponds with the help of government support.
As part of this initiative, an awareness programme was held at the Rhino Auditorium on Thursday under the aegis of the Veteran’s Cell of the 101 Area Headquarters. Officials from PRIME Meghalaya, the Meghalaya Basin Management Agency (MBMA), CM Elevate, the Fisheries department, and the Meghalaya Rural Bank briefed attendees
on a variety of government schemes and loan facilities available to them.
The state government is offering numerous schemes to support self-employment and entrepreneurship, including CM-Elevate, the PRIME programme, FOCUS+, and other mission-mode programmes in the agriculture and allied sectors. Under CM-Elevate and PRIME, both loans and grants are available to MSMEs and startups to help them scale their operations and create employment.
One such success story is that of Naik Niren Pambah from Marngar in Ri-Bhoi. With support from PRIME Meghalaya, he started a car wash centre in his village. Retired in 2020, Pambah expressed his gratitude for the assistance and shared his plans to open a Maruti car service centre in the near future. He encouraged fellow ex-servicemen to take full advantage of the schemes offered by the government.
Retired Colonel Darryl Momin, Director of the Sainik Welfare Board, stated that the programme was designed to equip the ESM community with essential information.
“Each month, many servicemen retire after serving in remote parts of the country. Most of them lack the information and resources needed to pursue entrepreneurship,” he said.
“To address this, we brought in speakers and officials from various departments to provide detailed insights into opportunities that are often unknown to the public and to ESMs themselves. Though this initiative is still in its early stages, I am confident it will greatly benefit the community.”
Colonel Momin also noted that a few ex-servicemen have already taken up entrepreneurial ventures, including homestays, vehicle cleaning services, and fisheries. With continued support from institutions such as the Meghalaya Rural Bank and the Fisheries Department, he expressed optimism that more ESMs would soon follow in their footsteps.
Liza Kharpomtiah, Senior Manager at MBMA, described the event as a valuable platform to engage directly with ex-servicemen and inform them about a wide range of Union and State-level schemes, including CM-Elevate.
“Many of them retire at a young age and still have the energy and drive to contribute meaningfully to their families and society. They just need the right opportunities,” she said.
She also highlighted an upcoming CM-Elevate scheme focused on adventure sports, a sector particularly suited to ex-servicemen given their physical fitness and discipline.
