An ‘SHG Mela’ was held today at Umlyngka village in Upper Shillong, with cash and computers handed out to selected self-help groups. This was the first such event to be held in Mylliem block.
The programme was organised by the office of the Mylliem Block Development Officer. Community and Rural Development Minister and local MLA Hamletson Dohling and Nongkrem MLA Lambor Malngiang were present on the occasion.
In his speech, Dohling informed the gathering that the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) is the flagship programme of the central government aimed at providing sustainable income to rural BPL households through income generating assets/economic activities in order to bring them out of poverty and also to promote the livelihoods of women.
He also said that the objective of the mela was to provide a platform for the SHGs to showcase and sell their unique products, share and interact with each other and exchange ideas and views.
In 2018 there were only 6,000 SHGs but this figure has now grown to 45,000, a statistic often promoted by the government. While lauding the women groups for coming together and forming these SHGs, Dohling also urged them to pass on the message to others in order to achieve maximum participation in Mylliem block.
Nine Village Employment Councils received computers, while cheques for financial aid to 106 producer groups under the government’s FOCUS programme were also handed out, along with sanction letters to 100 SHGs.
