Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 721/20

CHIEF MINISTER LAUNCHES THE MEGHALAYA STATE PIGGERY MISSION

Meghalaya Chief Minister, Shri Conrad K. Sangma today launched the 200 cr plus biggest piggery project in India for Meghalaya in presence of Union Minister of State (MoS) for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Shri Kailash Choudhury and Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Prestone Tynsong at National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) Head quarters in New Delhi. Launching the programme, the Chief Minister thanked the Government of India and NCDC for partnering with Meghalaya to fructify the ‘Meghalaya State Piggery Mission’. “The Piggery Mission would make the state self-sufficient in pork production and would also go a long way in making Meghalaya ‘Atmanirbhar’”, said the Chief Minister.

With funding of Rs. 200 Crore, the mission will have a transformative effect benefitting over 20,000 enterprises in Meghalaya. This is also a testimony to the long standing association between the NCDC and the Government of Meghalaya, wherein the State has partnered on the similar sized Milk Mission last year. He informed that to leverage all the progress that State has made in the primary sector and the cooperatives sector, the Meghalaya State Piggery Mission has been launched with a focus on augmenting farmer income and attaining self-sufficiency in food and nutrition security. “The Meghalaya State Piggery Mission, supported by the NCDC, will enable our State to achieve self-sufficiency in pork production, reduce our out-of-state import burden by nearly Rs. 150 Crores annually and improve the incomes of over 25,000 households, totalling to an annual increment of Rs. 70 Crores across the state,” the Chief Minister added.

He also informed that through “Piggery Mission” farmers in the State will be provided interest free loan. “The interest for the loan will be paid by the State Government. This is being done to encourage farmers to avail the loan,” the Chief Minister said. He also informed that through convergence with MGNREGA, the programme will be implemented in the State, wherein people in the villages will benefit the most.

Informing that this ambitious programme will directly benefit the farmers, the Chief Minister also said that Government of Meghalaya has a grand vision to catapult Meghalaya into the top ten Indian States in terms of Per Capita Income by 2030. “Keeping this objective in mind, the Government has launched “RESTART MEGHALAYA MISSION’, that comprises a series of interventions to support farmers, entrepreneurs by enabling them to build growth-promoting basic infrastructure and services,” he added. He also talked about Meghalaya’s diverse agro climate zones that enable the State to grow a range of high-value agriculture produces such as lakadong turmeric, honey, oranges, strawberries, mushrooms, etc.

“The Government of Meghalaya has already undertaken various initiatives to improve production, productivity and marketing of our agriculture produce. The Lakadong Mission, the Jackfruit mission, the Mushroom Mission, the Milk Mission and the Aquaculture Mission are all such initiatives that are aimed at systematic increase of production and value augmentation,” he stated.

Press Release No. 722/20

CHIEF MINISTER MEETS DONER MINISTER

Meghalaya Chief Minister, Shri Conrad K. Sangma met Union Minister of State for the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), Government of India, Dr. Jitendra Singh, and submitted a memorandum requesting for an additional sanction of Rs. 23 Cr under the Non Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) component for infrastructure requirements in the construction of the Shillong International Centre for Performing Arts and Culture (SICPAC) at Mawdiangdiang. The project was funded under NLCPR at a cost of Rs. 151.33 crores. However, since the sanctioned amount did not cover the requirement of high-quality audio-visual equipment, the State Government had also requested a sanction of Rs. 22.85 crore from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and the North Eastern Council.

The Ministry of Tribal Affairs has sanctioned an amount of Rs.12.85 crore while the NEC has agreed to provide Rs.10 crore for the same. It may be mentioned that SICPAC has been designed as an iconic and state of the art centre which is expected to contribute to the development and promotion of the arts and culture of Meghalaya and the entire North Eastern Region. He also discussed issues related to the sanctions for the construction of the ‘Rongjeng Mangsang A’dokgre road’, including a ‘bridge over River Ildek’ under the Ministry. Speaking on the importance of the project, the Chief Minister said, “The road is a strategic road of the State especially for the Garo Hills region that will provide the much-needed connectivity to a large number of villages in the area”.

He requested the Hon’ble MoS for his intervention in sanctioning the required amount to restart the construction work. Further, the Chief Minister also apprised the MoS on the status of NLCPR, NESIDS and NEC projects in Meghalaya and sought his intervention in the sanctioning of ongoing projects in the State. Lastly, he expressed his gratitude to the Ministry by saying, “We are grateful for the Ministry's support to Meghalaya's ambitions under his (Dr. Jitendra Singh’s) leadership”.

Press Release No. 727/20

GOVERNOR VISITS RAMAKRISHNA MISSION AND CATHEDRAL

Meghalaya Governor, Shri Satya Pal Malik today visited the Ramakrishna Mission, Laitumkhrah and Cathedral Church, Laitumkhrah. During his visit to Ramakrishna Mission, Laitumkhrah, the Governor interacted with Swami Hitakamananda, Secretary RKM, Laitumkhrah and paid his tributes to Swami Vivekananda and Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. He also discussed on the social service and charitable activities conducted by Ramakrishna Mission.

The Governor also visited the Cathedral Church, Laitumkhrah but in view of COVID-19 restrictions and due to the closure of all worship places, he did not enter the Church but met the Parish Priest, Fr. Pascal Lyngdoh who briefed him about the Church and prayed for the Governor for his good health and also prayed for the wellbeing of the State.