By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Aug 25: The state government’s move to establish 64 Chief Minister’s Youth Centres across the state will benefit and nurture entrepreneurs, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Monday while stating that the government has always believed that development cannot be measured by a number or by large infrastructure projects.
“Development is an aspect that has to be seen from multiple fronts. It’s incomplete if we are not able to connect our farmers, our rural entrepreneurs, our women, our youth and different aspects of socio-economic issues like health, education, rural entrepreneurship, tourism, agriculture, food processing,” Sangma said in his address while inaugurating the Youth Mela organised by Chief Minister’s Youth Centre (CMYC) at All Saints’ Hall here.
He said the government has entrepreneurial programmes at different levels to ensure that entrepreneurship is not just limited to a large enterprise or a large business that “we forget the small or nano entrepreneurs.”
“This programme, and each and every one of you is a part of the growth story of Meghalaya. Your business, how small it may be, does make a difference,” Sangma said.
He was confident that the nano entrepreneurs will scale greater heights in their entrepreneurial journey after they are nurtured and developed by the 64 CMYCs across the state.
The CMYCs are open learning spaces which will provide the youth of rural Meghalaya with a platform to develop innovation, problem-solving and design skills. These are free-to-access open learning spaces equipped with tools, activities and resources to have meaningful engagement with the communities.
The centres are envisioned to be a space for peer-led, self-learning to explore and learn beyond a school-prescribed curriculum. The goal of these centers is to serve as a focal point for community involvement, utilising developmental tools like art, sports, and libraries.
The state government is running the 64 CMYCs with support from the Sauramandala Foundation.
The Sauramandala Foundation is an NGO founded in 2018, aimed at addressing the challenges being faced by remote and inaccessible communities by accelerating social and economic changes through collaborative action.
The four-day Youth Mela from August 25-28 will feature panel discussions, live workshops, project exhibitions, library corner and games and activities space for young children.
The Chief Minister also launched the CMYC++ during the occasion and distributed the Nano Grant Awards to the Top 50 nano entrepreneurs. Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh was also present.