The Block Resource Management Committee (BRMC), based in East Jaintia Hills, is implementing a pilot intervention on alternative livelihood programmes for 10 villages.
The BRMC is taking this initiative to address the economic disparity and livelihood security of villages who have been directly and indirectly affected by rat hole coal mining and its subsequent ban in the state
The committee is a community resource based-organisation (CRBO) that was established as a community institution under the erstwhile aegis of Meghalaya Rural Development Society (MRDS), a state flagship organisation, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
The Community Livelihood Improvement Project (CLIP) is supported under the Meghalaya Environmental Protection Restoration Fund (MEPRF) in line with the direction of the Meghalaya High Court to address and implement livelihood activities for affected villages.
The BRMC recently held a capacity building training programme at Jalaphet Bri Sumer, Kairang, Mynthlu and at Iongkaluh, which involved members of the Farmers Producer Group (FPG) comprising of men and women who actively participated and understood the importance of agriculture, horticulture and livestock developmental interventions, a press release stated today.
Being important sectors that could generate direct and indirect employment along with a substantial flow of income that was disrupted by the NGT ban on coal mining a training exercise was conducted by Randolf Langstieh who is also the heading the Social Work Department at Captain Williamson Sangma State University along with the team from BRMC comprising of its chairman Dominic Wankhar, block secretary Andy M Laloo, vice-chairman Hao-emlad Patwet, Larihun Sohkhlet, Deimon Lamurong and other members.
“The support and equal participation of the village headmen and members of the local community is a positive sign who have come forward to understand the project intervention that would help in addressing their needs and priorities in the coming months ahead,” the release stated.
At Iongkaluh and Mynthlu a training on propagation of oyster mushrooms gained a lot of excitement amongst the women members of the Iongkaluh FPG that was conducted recently by the BRMC.
