Tura, June 29: Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma has announced additional fund of Rs. 1 lakh for every Village Employment Council (VEC) who complete 80 percent of mandays for their identified projects under MGNREGA and urged upon the VECs to move forward with greater commitment and create sustainable assets in their villages that would benefit generations to come through convergence and innovative approach.
The Chief Minister was addressing the first ever VECs’ Conference on Innovation and Convergence for the entire Garo Hills region here at Dikki-Bandi Stadium, Tura on Thursday which was also attended Commissioner & Secretary C&RD, P. Sampath Kumar, Deputy Commissioners of West and South West Garo Hills, Pravin Bakshi and C.V.D Diengdoh, local leaders, DRDA Project Directors of Garo Hills and over 3000 VEC members from five districts of Garo Hills.
Acknowledging the important role played by the VECs in the successful implementation of MGNREGS, the Chief Minister said that the occasion was an opportunity for them to come together and look back on what has been achieved and what more needs to be done for the future. He termed MGNREGS as the most inclusive programme in the whole world designed to bring socio-economic transformative changes in the villages and called upon the VECs continue issuing job cards to every new family in their village saying that the more job card holders they have the more amount of money they would receive. He also informed that the government has decided to increase the project management cost to the VECs from 1 percent to 2 percent with a ceiling of Rs. 20,000.
Dr. Sangma also called for release of wages to job card holders on timely basis and said even if there is delay in sanctioning of fund from the Centre there is a corpus fund already in place in the State so they can go ahead with their projects, adding that compensatory amount would also be given in case of late payment due to certain reasons. He said that the State’s VEC model is the best in the country which is linked to traditional institution and called upon the VECs to strive towards achieving 100 percent mandays generation.
Also releasing the Livestock Mission Document on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the Livestock Mission would be launched in the State shortly to create sustainable livelihood in the rural areas. During the five year mission, 40 percent of rural households would be provided with livestock farming, including piggery and poultry on convergence mode, he informed, adding that the mission would go a long way in addressing the nutritional deficiency in the State.
The Chief Minister also felicitated the best and the most innovative VECs from the districts of Garo Hills on the occasion and he along with other dignitaries also released the theme song of MGNREGA which was later performed to the audience by artistes from Shillong,
The Chief Minister also gave away the certificates of appreciation to the wholesale and fair-price shop dealers of West Garo Hills district to acknowledge their contribution in the successful implementation of National Food Security Act.
Earlier in his keynote address, Commissioner & Secretary, P.Sampath Kumar looked back on the implementation and progress of MGNREGS which according to him as been taken as an opportunity in Meghalaya and urged upon the VECs to take this occasion to look back on what has been done, look at the best practices under the programme and move forward with a vision for the future. He also said that the Chief Minister’s vision converting the villages as the most livable villages would be possible only through MGNREGS. Speaking about the new development concepts in the state, he said that the State government under its ‘Sustainable Development’ programme would take up water harvesting and conservation in a big way, adding that as many as 7000 spring sheds in the entire state would be revived through MGNREGS under the Sustainable Development programme.
