Sitharaman lauds Meghalaya's Self-Help Group ecosystem

Shillong, Jul 12 (PTI) Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday reaffirmed the Centre's full support for Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma's vision of transforming Meghalaya into a 10 billion US Dollar economy by 2028, with one billion US Dollar expected to come from Self-Help Group (SHG)-driven activities.

She highlighted that the state's SHG movement now commands a robust corpus of Rs 1,000 crore, comprising Rs 500 crore under the Community Investment Fund, Rs 400 crore from bank linkages, and members' own savings.

On the third day of her visit to Meghalaya, Sitharaman, accompanied by Agriculture and the state's Farmers' Welfare Minister Dr Mazel Ampareen Lyngdoh, toured the scenic Sohra region and interacted with SHG members, farmers, and local communities in Laitkynsew, Seij, and Sohbar.

Speaking at Laitkynsew village, she praised the effective implementation of Central and State schemes in Meghalaya, stating, "If we truly believe in Sabka Vikas, every citizen - urban or rural, rich or poor - must benefit from government programmes." The Union minister lauded the role of women-led SHGs in not only improving livelihoods but also significantly reducing Meghalaya's Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and fostering women's empowerment.

She reiterated the national goal of creating five 'Lakhpati Didis' per village, urging Meghalaya to be at the forefront of this movement.

"We need every village to contribute to the ambition of the chief minister," she said.

Lyngdoh highlighted how SHGs are playing a pivotal role in health reforms.

She said the state's MMR has dropped from 240 to below 104 since 2020, thanks to collaborative interventions between the Health Department and women-led SHGs.

In Seij village, Sitharaman also trekked to the iconic 300-year-old Umkar Living Root Bridge, a marvel of sustainable architecture.

There, she met Hally War, the architect of the bridge, who shared how his grandparents' tales inspired him to weave a natural, living path across the river.

One of the most compelling stories came from Lahun Mary Blah, a member of SHG Ieng Rasong, who shared her journey from a homemaker to a successful micro-entrepreneur, increasing her annual income from Rs 20,000 to Rs 3.4 lakh.

Under the leadership of Chief Minister Sangma, SHG membership has grown from 50,000 to 5.3 lakh women.

Earlier, during her journey from Shillong to Sohra, Sitharaman visited the Shiitake Mushroom Training Centre in Upper Shillong, where she observed mushroom cultivation techniques and interacted with farmers who shared their experiences of becoming agri-entrepreneurs through government support.

Concluding her tour, she visited Sohbar, a border village under the Vibrant Villages Programme, becoming the first Union Minister to visit the village.

Emphasising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of treating border settlements as First Villages, she assured people that all Central schemes would reach Sohbar.

She also congratulated the state government for sanctioning an Externally Aided Project of Rs 20.93 crore to develop a tourism hub in the area. PTI JOP NN