Govt gives away first tranche of funds for restoration of Ganol Catchment

SHILLONG, Oct 18: The state government has presented first instalment of payment to the Village PES Committees (VPCs) under the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Pilot Project for restoration of the Ganol Catchment.
The PES Pilot Project for the Restoration of Ganol Catchment, which is a first-of-its-kind initiative in India, was launched in April this year by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
It is pertinent to note that the distribution of first instalment of PES amount to the participating village communities was made after completion of first stage comprising identification of lands for activities, surveys and mapping, signing of agreements, opening of bank accounts, initial briefing about the management practices, et al.
Currently, the total area covered under PES Pilot Project in the Ganol Catchment is over 750 hectare.
During the programme, James presented the first tranche of payment, amounting to over Rs 15 lakh, to 18 VPCs that were present out of the 20 villages.
Expressing joy over communities voluntarily taking up conservation and restoration activities in villages, the minister lauded the leadership of the Nokmas in encouraging the communities to conserve the green cover for the young and future generations.
The minister also reiterated that many states and some countries have shown interest in the implementation of PES in Meghalaya.
He said the state government is contemplating extension of the PES Project to other major catchment areas in Meghalaya such as Simsang and Umiew.
Director & Co-Chairman of the Centre of Excellence, Dr. Subhash Ashutosh, who had played a pivotal role in conducting studies and preparing the framework for the PES Pilot Project, explained the need for a mechanism like PES to conserve the forest cover in Meghalaya and combat natural resource management (NRM) challenges relating to water scarcity, soil degradation, rapid deforestation and impacts of climate change.