By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: A memorandum was signed on Friday after IDFC Foundation awarded a corporate social responsibility project to facilitate installation of solar street lights, solar pump and micro hydel plan at Mawlyngbna village. The C&RD Department is facilitating the project through State Institute of Rural Development.
Mawlyngbna Village located on the southern slopes of Meghalaya bordering Bangladesh falls under the Mawsynram C&RD Block of East Khasi Hills. Connected with a metaled road, the village is about 75km from Shillong and with the earnest efforts to promote the main source of livelihood of the village the C&RD Department, through the SIRD, Meghalaya and the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), facilitated the process of involving IDFC Foundation to fund the installation of several components in the Mawlyngbna Project.
Mawlyngbna has a total of 350 households that depend mainly on plantation of betel nut, betel vine, black pepper and bay leaf for their livelihood. The average monthly income of the households is around Rs 4000. A survey carried out by IDFC Foundation prior to adoption of the village revealed that the people of community of Mawlyngbna diverted water from a 2 km perennial source for drinking and irrigation purposes using innovative local technology.
