Meghalaya CM Mukul Sangma launches LIFE programme at Songsak

Meghalaya Chief Minister Dr Mukul Sangma on 12 July 2017 launched a flagship programme ‘Livelihood Intervention and Facilitation of Entrepreneurship’ (LIFE) at Songsak in East Garo Hills. Songsak is about 210kilometer west of the state capital, Shillong.

LIFE is a programme of the State Rural Livelihood Society (MSRLS), an agency of the Community and Rural Development Department of Government of Meghalaya, which is implementing the Centre's flagship programme - National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM). NRLM promotes livelihood through women Self Help Groups (SHGs) and their Federations.

At present, the NRLM is being currently implemented in 21 blocks of Meghalaya and so far, a total of 1472 people in different blocks have been benefitted from the scheme.
The programme offers thrust on improving the livelihood of rural poor in a sustainable manner through the process of SHGs, Village organisation and Producers Groups.

After inaugurating the programme LIFE, Mukul urged people to form Self-Help Groups (SHG) in their area so that different activities would be started to ensure people are able to generate income and eradicate poverty.

Aim: The programme was launched with an aim to ensure that people can generate income in their own backwards by providing them assistance to do plantation and other income-generating activities through different livelihood missions of the state.

It also aims at bringing all poor and vulnerable women into the SHG movement by emphasising on reviving the inactive and the functional ones by including them in Life programme.

Idea behind the Programme: Main idea of the programme is to ensure that people start migrating towards the rural areas from urban areas, as against the current trend, for taking up activities that revolves around agriculture, horticulture and other allied sectors.

While informing people about the slew of initiatives taken up by his government, Mukul said, “To bridge the economic disparity and ensure progress, Life will be implemented across the state, so that there is inclusive development.”