Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 107/23

CM LAUNCH MEGHALAYA RAFTING PROGRAMME AT UMTHAM

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma officially launched the Meghalaya Rafting program at Whitewater Village, Umtham, in Ri-Bhoi district, with the aim of promoting rafting in the state.

For several years, the Ri-Bhoi Water Sports and Tourism Cooperative Society and the Meghalaya Canoe Association have been actively promoting the sport in Umtham village and engaging with the government. Recognizing the potential of rafting, the government has now initiated the Meghalaya Rafting program. Umtham village has hosted numerous national and international events organized by the Ri-Bhoi Water Sports and Tourism Cooperative Society and the Meghalaya Canoe Association to popularize the sport. Local youth, both boys and girls, have been trained in rafting and are now participating in various national and international events.

The Megha Kayak Fest held in Umtham has gained international acclaim. The picturesque natural beauty of Umtham and its river has been highly appreciated, and the local organizations aspire to develop the course as the world's most thrilling perennial slalom course.

During the launch event, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma commended the efforts of the team that pioneered rafting and canoeing activities in the area. He assured the organizations promoting the sport that the government would extend full support to elevate and promote rafting to new heights.

As a government, we believe in promoting innovative ideas and interventions. Rafting in Umtham has tremendous potential, and it is our responsibility to ensure that we support and go the extra mile to leverage this exciting sport, which will not only empower our youth but also attract global attention, stated the Chief Minister. Highlighting the potential of rafting and the passion of the state's young enthusiasts, the Chief Minister expressed confidence that they would bring laurels to Meghalaya in the future. The government of Meghalaya is committed to scientifically developing talented sportspeople in the coming years.

Regarding the promotion of Umtham as a tourist destination, the Chief Minister emphasized its enormous potential and pledged to address immediate challenges, improve network connectivity, and explore infrastructure enhancements. He further assured that Umtham would be developed as a tourism circuit, with the government introducing programs that enhance the overall experience for visiting tourists.

Press Release No. 108/23

CM CONRAD K. SANGMA APPLAUDS FARMERS EFFORTS IN AROMATIC PLANT CULTIVATION AT BYRWA VILLAGE

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma visited Byrwa village in Ri-Bhoi to interact with farmers engaged in aromatic plant cultivation under the flagship Aroma Mission initiative.

During his visit, the Chief Minister commended the farmers for their remarkable achievements in transforming aromatic plants into valuable products, including essential oils and natural repellents. Expressing his support, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma assured the farmers that the government would extend all possible assistance to upscale their enterprise. He applauded the efforts of the group at Byrwa, who shared their plans to create perfumes using the extracted oils.

At Byrwa village, Bestarly Marwein runs the startup Fountain Green JLG, which is actively promoting medicinal and aromatic essential oils in the state. The enterprise, in collaboration with women entrepreneurs, operates three essential oil distillation units to propagate various plants such as Citronella, Lemon Grass, Turmeric, Vetiver, Winter Green, Geranium, and more. Notably, all these plants are grown naturally in healthy soil without the usage of chemicals.

In addition to selling oils in bulk, Fountain Green JLG crafts fully natural essential oil soaps, mosquito repellents, mosquito repellent creams, mosquito repellent floor mops, and agarbatti. The startup has received support from PRIME, which provided mentoring, capacity building, funding, and product development assistance.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma announced that the government would grant additional financial aid to purchase machinery, further enhancing the unit's capabilities at Byrwa. This investment signifies the government's commitment to ensuring value addition and tapping into the immense potential of aromatic plants.

The Meghalaya Aroma Mission, launched in 2019 as a flagship initiative by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, aims to harness the economic and environmental benefits of aromatic plant cultivation. Through this mission, the government is dedicated to supporting local farmers and entrepreneurs in the cultivation, processing, and value addition of aromatic plants.

Press Release No. 109/23

MEGHALAYA SPEAKER LAUNCHES SALT PROJECT IN GARO HILLS

Meghalaya Speaker, Thomas A Sangma launched the Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) Project at Sasatgre on the foothills of Nokrek Biosphere Reserve on 7th July, 2023 in the presence of Minister for Soil and Water Conservation, Government of Meghalaya Marcuise N Marak, other dignitaries, District Officials and people of the area. This pilot project is being implemented in the villages of Baldinggre, Dura Kalakgre and Sasatgre in West and East Garo Hills districts and will be implemented in other areas in future.

Informing about the importance of acronym, Meghalaya Speaker, Thomas A Sangma said that the acronym SALT is appealing and was wondering what kind of SALT project it was, but after knowing it, the project seemed important and necessary to prevent soil erosion and add fertility to the soil. Mentioning that Meghalaya State has the World’s heaviest rainfall in the world but these huge amount of water do not retain in the soil and flows to the neighbouring Assam and about 80 percent to Bangladesh, and said that it is necessary to retain this water for using during dry season, etc adding that this year there is late and less rainfall and have been experiencing unusual climate change in the region.

He also mentioned that along with the flow of water the top fertile soil among others flows away and hence the cultivable land of the area becomes less productive which are being experienced these days. Therefore, this SALT project is aimed to help water retention as well as to prevent soil erosion and add fertility to the soil especially in the hill slopes and in the abandoned jhum cultivation areas. Further, he also said that in order to make the soil fertile nitrogen fixation is necessary and a plant that fixes nitrogen will be planted along these slopes where agriculture and allied activities will be practiced along these slopes. Stating that the Government and the District Officials have been initiating and implementing different important projects for the benefit of the people, he said that people should be willing to support and cooperate with these projects and expressed hope that these projects will definitely help to increase production of fruits and vegetables and thereby uplift the economy of the rural people of the region.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Soil and Water Conservation, Government of Meghalaya Marcuise N Marak shared the present context of drastic climate change where we are experiencing global warming, imbalance environmental concerns in the area and everywhere and therefore, he said that we need to change our ways and system of life in order to protect and preserve our environment for future generation. Mentioning about the disadvantages of jhum cultivation he said that the practice of clearing the trees and surrounding environment is harmful for nature and adopting the new Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) project is a welcome step and advised the people to support and implement the project for better agricultural production and enhanced livelihood in the area. Reminding that the Nokrek Biosphere Reserve is the source of the main rivers of Garo Hills region, he urged everyone to lend a helping hand in preserving the water sources as well as the surrounding environment.

In his keynote address, the Divisional Officer, Tura Soil and Water Conservation (T) Division Charseng Marak informed that the Sloping Agriculture Land Technology (SALT) project is a kind of technology especially used in hilly areas to retain the fertility of the soil and prevent soil erosion. In this technology hedge rows will be planted to prevent draining of fertile soil and nitrogen fixation plant will be planted which will be trimmed in low height and the leaves would be thrown on the ground to make the soil fertile. This project would also be applied for paddy cultivation and cultivation of squash in the first phase and would be expanded to other areas later. Expressing his gratitude to the Soil and Water Conservation for introducing orange plantation and numerous other development activities in the area, Nokma from Baladinggre informed that there has been considerable decrease in the production of agriculture produce like orange, squash, etc in the area and said that the land which produce thousand squash is merely producing about 50 to 100 squash nowadays which is a serious cause of concern, he said.

Earlier, during the beginning of the program, the Chief Guest, Guest of Honour and other dignitaries planted a nitrogen fixation sapling at the SALT project implementation site at Sasatgre.