To boost water conservation and environmental activities in villages, natural resource management will be part and parcel of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MGNREGS) being implemented in Meghalaya.
All Village Employment Committees (VECs) in Meghalaya shall now have a Natural Resource Management Committee (NRMC) to plan and supervise natural resource management activities under MGNREGS.
As per the notification issued by the Community and Rural Development Department last month, the main role of NRMC is to ensure participatory planning of natural resource management activities under MGNREGS.
Village Community Facilitators and technical staff from the relevant departments will assist the NRMC in conducting such participatory discussions.
The NRMC will also monitor and see that a significant amount of funds under MGNREGA are utilised optimally for addressing the issues of water scarcity, soil degradation, deforestation and other environmental problems.
The NRMC will also play an important role in promoting Community Conservation Corps under Green Meghalaya Movement to build the youth and children in bringing about general awareness, learning and understanding about the need to preserve and conserve nature in all its balance.
Raising of nurseries in each and every VEC in convergence with NRLM and other line departments shall be a “mandatory activity” to be carried out by NRMC.
The saplings selected should be perennial horticulture plants, indigenous water retaining plants. No seasonal plants are permitted.
As far as financial implication is concerned, there will be a clear cut indication on the budget break up in the ratio of 60:40 of the VEC’s annual action plan for the two shelves – Natural Resource Management and non- Natural Resource Management.
“This shall be mandatorily carried out during the annual plan preparation by the VEC. The NRMC shall be entrusted with the identification of natural resource management works, supervision of the implementation and execution of the natural resource management plan of the VEC. The overall annual action plan shall be approved at the VEC level,” the notification said.
