JAIRAMPUR, Feb 20: Local MLA Laisam Simai inaugurated the maiden North East Agro-Business Trade (NEAT) Festival, organized here by the North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP) in collaboration with the Changlang district administration on Wednesday.
For two days, all the 39 NERCORMP SHG federations in Changlang district will exhibit farm and non-farm produces and products during the festival.
The MLA visited all the stalls, and applauded the efforts of the participants in finding livelihood without depending on others.
He commended the women for “setting an example of success for the rest to follow,” and advised the men to “follow the paradigm set by the women in creating livelihood sources and becoming self-reliant.”
“Once a person or community achieves financial independence, for them, the most impossible goal becomes easy to accomplish,” Simai said, adding that “to reach to that position one will have to work tirelessly.”
ADC SS Choudhury lauded the diligence of the local women in forming SHGs and working hard to achieve “tremendous success in their chosen fields.”
Earlier, NERCORMP District Project Director N Sukajit explained the benefits of the NERCORMP and the way it has impacted rural lives, and NERCORMP Business Development Officer Nonju Tikhak, who is responsible for the festival, expressed satisfaction at seeing the rush of consumers.
The NERCORMP is a joint livelihood project of the International Fund for Agriculture Development and the North Eastern Council. The project’s primary objective is to improve the livelihood options of economically vulnerable groups in a sustainable manner through the promotion of livelihood opportunities and strengthening of local institutions that relate to livelihood development.
The project was launched in Changlang and Tirap in 2014.
