NAMSAI, 4 Feb: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein launched a NABARD-sponsored ‘integrated tribal development project’ under the Tribal Development Fund, in the presence of NABARD Chairman GR Chintala, MLAs Chau Zingnu Namchoom and Jummum Ete Deori, Namsai DC RK Sharma and others, here on Friday.
The project will directly benefit 200 tribal families by enhancing their livelihood through sustainable and participatory livelihood programmes being implemented by the Namsai Organic Spice and Agricultural Products (NOSAAP) Producer Co Ltd.
Lauding the NABARD for being a major partner in the state’s development, Mein said, “In order to make credit-linked schemes and cultivation of plantation crops successful, more awareness needs to be created among the farmers about cultivation and production, and establish market linkages for their produces.”
Besides these, the DCM said, “we also need to impart technical know-how knowledge to the farmers.”
Highlighting the cabinet decision taken in Lower Subansiri HQ Ziro on 20 January, Mein informed that the state government will provide financial support of Rs 1 lakh to 500 women SHGs and Rs 2 lakhs as capital support to 300 primary level federations for procurement of goods transport vehicles.
Chintala on his part assured to provide more support to Arunachal Pradesh, stating that “the state has tremendous scope for expansion under agriculture and horticulture crops.”
He emphasized the need to introduce scientific cropping system with more farm mechanization and farming technology, and to establish backward linkages.
NABARD Itanagar Regional Office GM Partho Saha said that, “based on the successful experience of Adivasi development programmes, the NABARD embarked upon an ambitious programme of replicating the wadi model in the state.”
MLA Namchoom, NOSAAP CEO Chau Athina Chauhai, Namsai DPO Keshav Sharma, resource person Krishna Saikia, and the NABARD’s Namsai DDM Kamal Roy also spoke.
Earlier, the DCM and the NABARD chairman unveiled statues of Singpho and Tai Khamti couples in the premises of the multipurpose hall here. They also visited the site of the under-construction district hospital, which is being funded by the NABARD.
Chintala also visited TR Camp here and interacted with the beneficiaries of the NABARD-supported skill development programme on hand woven carpets, and inaugurated a rural haat in Piyong for marketing the finished products of SHGs and farmers. (DCM’s PR Cell)
