Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 376/22

RASHTRIYA POSHAN MAA AWARENESS ON POSHAN VATIKA HELD AT MAWKYRWAT

The office of the Child Development Project Officer today organised Rashtriya Poshan Maa Poshan Vatika on Rain water Harvesting and Conservation and Distribution of seeds at Mawkyrwat Community Hall which was participated by members of Aganwadi Centres in and around Mawkyrwat.

In her introductory speech H. Sahkhar, District Social Welfare Officer, South West Khasi Hills District said Poshan Maa was started since September 2018 onwards and the scheme is implemented throughout the country with an objective to eradicate mal nutrition in the country. She said that mal nutrition has not only affected the health of women and children but retards growth and height in children which results in stunting. She added that mal nutrition is the main cause of Anaemia and several other diseases. She hopes and expects that through such programmes people will be informed on how to plants in gardens or kitchen gardens in Aganwadi Centres and on how to conserve and preserve water through Water Harvesting System and on the use of seeds.

Shri. A. Malang, Assistant Director, District Horticulture, South West Khasi Hills District said that agriculture has been long forgotten and it is through such platforms that agriculture can be revived through hardwork, dedication and commitments. He stated that if farmers were to expect good crops they should cultivate in a systematic and scientific method by using good seeds and by sowing at the right season. He said that plants needs food and vitamins in order to grow and yields good crops, therefore vermin compost, fertilizers, multi plex etc should be used in cultivation in order to enhance agriculture.

Shri K. Khongsit, Assistant Engineer, Water Resources said that Rain Water Harvesting is a must for every household and due to changing in climatic condition, there is water scarcity everywhere. He said that Rain Water Harvesting has been implemented with a view to collect water in lakes, ponds etc and through roof tops by building a tank or water storage which is fitted with pipes and filter and the filtered water can be used for various purposes. He also informed that such a system has been implemented in the compound of the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Mawkyrwat, Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council, Mawkyrwat and at Mawthawpdah PHC, Mawkyrwat. He said that such a system has been used a long time ago in dry arid deserts. Tamil Nadu is the only state in India where Rain Water Harvesting is said to be compulsory, he said thereby encouraging one and all that it is high time that we should start collecting and preserving Rain water from our rooftops which will be used in dry season as water is very precious without which one cannot survive.

Seeds were also distributed to 4 Aganwadi Centres i.e., Mawkyrwat, Mawbidong, Sohkhyllam and Nonglang.

Press Release No. 377/22

LAUNCH OF THE ONLINE PORTAL OF THE MEGHALAYA RESIDENTS SAFETY AND SECURITY ACT

The online portal of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act was launched today by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma in presence of Home Minister, Lahkmen Rymbui, MLA, Mawsynram, H. M Shangpliang, Chief Secretary D.P. Wahlang, DGP, L.R. Bishnoi, DC, East Khasi Hills, I. Laloo, SIO, NIC, Timothy Dkhar, senior Government officials and headmen of the various localities.

The web based system is first being rolled out in seven localities of Shillong. The first phase is being implemented in the localities of Nongrim Hills, Lapalang, Nongmynsong, Nongrah, Pohkseh, Riat Laban and Wahdienglieng.

Speaking during the launch the Chief Minister said that the implementation of the digitised system will not only ensure the safety and security of the residents, but it will also act as a strong intelligence gathering system for authorities to monitor and act, based on the intelligence inputs gathered from the online database. He further added that the digitisation and preparation of the online database for the MRSSA could also be beneficial for monitoring and better implementation of other services and programmes of the Government. He said that the digitisation process will connect more than 6000 villages in the State to the online system. The digitised database can then be utilised for better service delivery in critical areas such as healthcare. He said that the digitisation will aid in effective monitoring of the schemes and programmes of the Government.

This kind of exercise is something that is going to help us not just in terms of the safety and security but also it will help us to digitise things and even help us to monitor the different services, schemes, and programmes implemented by the Government, and we will be able to do it in a much better manner. We want to expand this digitisation not just for MRSSA but also for effective implementation of other Government services, he said. The Chief Minister said that the initial rollout of the online system will cover the relevant towns and localities on priority before expanding in a phased manner across the State. He also complemented the efforts of the headmen of different localities for working together with the administration and exhorted them to partner with the Government for successful implementation of the programme.

During his address, Minister, Home, Lahkmen Rymbui, underlined that safety of the people is of paramount importance and acknowledged the various proactive steps taken by the dorbar shnongs for the security of the residents in their respective localities.

The Government of Meghalaya has introduced the Meghalaya Resident Safety and Security Act 2016 with the purpose to ensure and enhance security of the citizens of State by making careful and thorough examination of tenants residing in the state. The implementation of Act will prevent antisocial elements from gaining shelter in the State and to create a control mechanism to check illegal infiltration or illegal migrants who might be coming and residing in the localities. In order to implement the Act, the Govt. in collaboration with NIC Meghalaya has taken the initiative to design and develop an online application that will enable the citizen Landlords or tenants to register themselves with prior verification from the local authorities.

Accordingly, the web application has been designed and developed to enable the landlords, tenants, local authorities of the localities and sub localities to register and enter the details of the residents i.e., landlords or tenants rental units as provision in the Form B of the Act. The URL of the web application is http://megrssa.nic.in and it can be accessed from PCs, Laptops, Tablets, and smartphones. A mobile app has also been designed and developed to enable the landlords and tenants to register from their smartphones. Salient features of the online system: • EPIC is being used to identify the landlord. • Tenants can be identified by EPIC, Driving license, PAN, AADHAAR, Student ID, Passport No. etc. • The web application is made responsive i.e., it can be easily accessed from PCs, laptops, tablets, mobile phones, etc. • Provision is made to upload mandatory documents as per the Act. • Well defined workflow is provided so that data flows from one level to another electronically with a provision to track the status at every level. With the implementation of the web application, the State Government will have the digitised database of basic data of all the landlords/tenants who are residing in Meghalaya.

Press Release No. 378/22

ANAEMIA CAMP, RECIPE COMPETITION MARK POSHAN MAAH CELEBRATION AT SALMANPARA

The district level celebration of POSHAN Maah 2022 on the theme Triggering POSHAN Panchayat for POSHAN Maah was organized at Salmanpara MFC under Zikzak ICDS Project, South West Garo Hills, on Thursday. Organized by the District Programme Officer, ICDS Cell Tura, together with District Social Welfare Office, Ampati and Betasing and Zikzak ICDS Projects, the celebration was marked by Anaemia screening camp, recipe competition, awareness talk on nutrition and call for community participation on nutrition and hygiense by various speakers.

South West Garo Hills Deputy Commissioner, Gideon Kharmawphlang, while highlighting the nutritional values of locally available, organic vegetables and herbs, laid stress on hygiene and said that apart from getting good nutritious food it is very important to maintain hygienic cooking and eating habits. He also stressed on physical activity getting enough sunlight and taking food in the right doses and also called for strong community participation in promoting healthy practices in their respective village, build strong and healthy society and make South West Garo Hills a strong district.

The Deputy Commissioner along with ADC, A.V.D. Shira also gave away the cash prizes to the winners of the Recipe competition. ADC, A.V.D. Shira in her addressed the womenfolk of their legal rights in cases of domestic violence and other violations against women and urged upon the men folk in the society to extend their support to women in building healthy homes, while the District Immunization Officer, Dr.Noreen Sangma sensitized gathering on importance of nutrition for pregnant and lactating mothers and children.

Earlier, the DPO, ICDS Cell, West, South & South West Garo Hills, C.D. Arengh in his welcome and introductory address, highlighted on the objectives of POSHAN Maah and POSHAN Abhiyan. He also highlighted on this year team of Triggering Poshan Panchayats for POSHAN Maah and stressed on the role of Nokmas, Sordars and Gaonburas in mobilizing the community to addressing nutritional, health and social issues among women, children and adolescent girls.

A good number of Anganwadi workers with their Supervisors, ASHAs, self help groups, women and men and officials of the converging line departments and agencies participated in the celebration also saw presentation of short play and songs and dances presented by AWWs and village organizations. It may be mentioned that celebration of POSHAN Maah or Nutrition month has been launched in all Anganwadi centres on the 1st of September, 2022 and various activities are being taken up at the grassroots level throughout the month as part of the celebration.

Press Release No. 379/22

GOVT HANDED OVER LETTER OF ALLOTMENT FOR 10 ACRES OF LAND IN NEW SHILLONG TOWNSHIP FOR CRPF

Meghalaya Government today handed over the letter of allotment for 10 acres of land in the New Shillong Township for the CRPF to set up a permanent base. The Chief Minister in a video statement released to the media after the meeting held in the Secretariat with the CRPF said that the CRPF have for many years requested the Government of Meghalaya to allot a permanent location and permanent camp for them. He added that since a permanent location was still to be allotted, the different battalions and companies of the CRPF have been kept in different parts of the city and the state on a temporary basis, an arrangement which was extended for a very long time.

Today we have decided and in fact handed over the allotment of 10 acres of land in the New Shillong township area next to IIM for the CRPF to have a permanent camp in the State of Meghalaya which will further facilitate the process of shifting the temporary camps and taking the different CRPF personnel from those temporary camps to the permanent land which is being given to them. We also discussed regarding the shifting of the camps in certain locations where there had been lot of demand from the public also, like in the areas of Mawlai, the Chief Minister said.

The Chief Minister said that the shifting of the CRPF camps to the permanent site will commence once the finalisation and approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI, is received, to take over the land which has been allotted by the State Government.

The meeting also discussed the way forward for the most suitable utilisation of the land once the temporary camps are vacated by the CRPF. The Chief Minister said that the Government is contemplating setting up skill and entrepreneurship training facilities or an arts and culture centre in the CRPF camp in Mawlai once it is vacated.

We had a very productive meeting and we are hopeful that very soon the approval from MHA will come for the taking over of the land by the CRPF which has been allotted by us today, the Chief Minister said.