Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 861/17

CHIEF MINISTER ATTENDS PASSING OUT PARADE OF SECOND BATCH OF SF 10

Chief Minister, Dr Mukul M Sangma today took the salute of four platoons of Commandos at the Passing Out Parade of the 2nd Batch Recruit Commando Basic Training of SF 10 (40th Batch) at 1 MLP APTC Mawiong, Shillong. Also present for the occasion was Minister, Home, H D R Lyngdoh, Minister, School & Literacy, Deborah Marak, Minister, Sports & Youth Affairs, Zenith M Sangma, Minister, Urban Affairs, R V Lyngdoh and newly inducted Minister, Dr Celestine Lyngdoh. Speaking to the gathering Dr Mukul M Sangma while congratulating the newly inducted commandos said that the passing out of the 2nd Batch reflects the commitment of the government to serve the state and the nation. He also expressed his gratitude to the Meghalaya Police and also the families for having extended the necessary training, hand holding and support to the commandos during their course of training to remain focused on their commitment to be a part of the organization.

The Chief Minister also said that the government of Meghalaya is committed to ensure safe and secured environment throughout the state. “There has been multi pronged approach adopted by the government to achieve this. A safe and secure environment is a pre requisite for people to engage themselves in all activities required for the growth and prosperity of the state. The government has embarked upon a number of measures to achieve this shared objective of growth and prosperity based on the true potentials of our people,” he said. Dr Sangma also added that the fight against the criminals and people who are continuously engaged in disrupting the peaceful environment continues and the induction of commandos will strengthen SF 10 in general and Meghalaya Police in particular and is a reflection and demonstration of the government’s commitment to attend to the responsibilities and call of duty. The Chief Minister urged the newly inducted commandos to insulate themselves from all vulnerabilities and challenges. He also urged the Meghalaya Police and the families to continue their support and called for the need to have aggressive counseling for the men of the organization so that they do not deviate from their duties in the face of challenges. He stated that the role of the police is invariably crucial in the administration of justice and urged the men of the organization to work with utmost sincerity and dedication so that the momentum of sustained peace that has been achieved is not dislocated.

The second batch of SF 10 has 152 commandos with two female commandos and a Unit of 50 recruits in Law and Order Riot Control. Eight commandos were awarded during the function for their excellence during the course of three and a half intensive commando training. The training was coordinated by Brigadier (Retd) W B J Sturgeon and the commandos were trained in armed and unarmed combats, counter insurgency and other tactics for survival by instructors of Army Special Forces and Meghalaya Police. The newly inducted commandos also staged Ambush & Counter Ambush Demo.

Press Release No. 863/17

LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS DEVELOPMENT ORGANISED

Where convergence is the new mantra being fostered for greater development initiatives in the region, District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) and IBDLP, West Garo Hills took a comprehensive way forward to organise a two day workshop on Leadership and Communication Skills Development held at DRDA Conference Hall, Tura on 3rd & 4th August, 2017. The innovative programme was attended by block officials, extension officers from the department of Agriculture, Horticulture, Animal Husbandry & Veterinary, Soil & Water Conservation and the IBDLP team. The two day programme was organised with focus objectives on leadership, team building, joint planning, communication skill development, preparation of convergence matrix, block wise action plan formulation and joint implementation strategies in convergence mode.

It may be mentioned that the training methodology encompass the World Bank FiLDI (Field Level Leadership Development Initiative) techniques and had practical sessions with focus on live projects and interaction on core issues and drawing feasible solutions with CAN (Change Agent Network) model. Some of the training exercises included were coat of arms, fish bowl exercise, broken squares, value tree exercise, connecting two villages situation analysis, head catches tail , safety pin exercise, rope exercise, communication exercise- ‘catch me if you can’ etc. The effort in the programme was given on bringing positive change in ‘I’ level, ‘WE’ level and ‘US’ level. I level define ‘self’, We level define the organisation and We level focuses change at the community level. The idea is conceptualized that if one has to bring change in others and at the community level, the change has to begin with self first and thus become an example to bring metamorphic change in organisation level and at the community level. During the programme, presentations were also made by Soil & Water Dept, AH & Vety., Agri- Horticulture Dept., MGNREGS and IBDLP respectively, sharing the departmental activities and programmes for better convergence.

Speaking on the interactive programme, DD Shira, Project Director DRDA & Vice Chairman IBDLP, Tura shared that it is the need of the hour that all departments come together and work as a team. The programme is an effort with a holistic approach of creating more convergence among the departments to implement more projects and programmes effectively and efficiently. He also invited the departments to come forward and partners with MGNREGS programmes and activities in convergence mode. During the concluding session, each block came up with action plan for the next three months. All the participants were felicitated with certificate of participation with a commitment from each that all become ‘ambassadors of change’ and be a light to others and take active role in bringing more developmental change in the region.