Meghalaya Cabinet clears proposal to avail USD 174 mn project

Meghalaya cabinet today cleared a proposal to avail a USD 174 million externally aided project aimed at providing sustainable livelihood programmes for the people including access to market linkages.
Chief Minister Mukul Sangma said the cabinet has cleared a proposal from the Planning department for livelihood programmes and access to market linkages in convergence with the state's flagship programme -- the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Programme (IBDLP).
"We expect to see outcomes for food security and meet the basic needs of the communities for water and food with number of interventions and designed to create sustainable livelihood through increase production of food crops through increase awareness of organic cultivation practices which has been already rolled out by the line department," Mukul told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

He said the proposed project, which would be funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), will entail access to total 174 US million dollars (about Rs 957 crore) which would be implemented in convergence with other livelihood programmes and missions of the state government.
Among others, the project is aimed at providing livelihood support to improve income and create employment, improve access to enterprise development services and creation of clusters producing commodities for the market, he said.
It is also aimed at improving access to rural markets and to improve access to financial and all necessary services for growth of enterprises, he said.

According to the chief minister, the project would be converged with various interventions under number of missions under the IBDLP for which the implementation shall be routed through the basin units headed by the district deputy commissioners as the chairman.
The cabinet has also approved hiking of contingency fund from Rs 105 crore to Rs 605 crore which would be replaced by a regular bill.