Meghalaya CM announces Rs 130 crore welfare boost for over 27,000 beneficiaries

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on March 28 rolled out welfare benefits worth over Rs 130 crore for more than 27,700 beneficiaries under multiple flagship programmes, with a focus on rural livelihoods and community infrastructure.

The announcement was made at a function held at Polo Ground in Shillong, where the Chief Minister was joined by Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Timothy D Shira and MLA Celestine Lyngdoh.

The funds were disbursed under several key initiatives, including FOCUS+, GREEN Meghalaya+, LIFCOM, MegLIFE, Floriculture Mission, and CM ELEVATE, benefiting over 27,700 people and 235 farmer cooperatives.

On the occasion, Sangma also inaugurated 128 MegLIFE community halls, 34 warehouses, and four common facility centres under CM ELEVATE, with a combined investment exceeding ₹48 crore.

Highlighting the government’s expanding welfare outreach, Sangma said that since 2018, over 30 schemes have been launched, benefiting more than 8 lakh citizens across the state.

He noted that flagship schemes such as FOCUS+, CM Safe Motherhood Scheme, and CM ELEVATE have supported over 1.05 lakh farmers, 13,169 women, and 3,600 entrepreneurs, along with nearly 98,751 students.

Officials said that since March 4, around 24,400 beneficiaries have received ₹6.04 crore under FOCUS+, which provides direct support for farm production-related activities.

Under the GREEN Meghalaya+ programme, described as one of the country’s largest payment-for-ecosystem-services initiatives, over 2,700 beneficiaries received ₹25.54 crore, taking the total disbursement under the scheme to ₹180 crore.

Similarly, under LIFCOM, ₹27 crore has been distributed to enhance working capital for farmer collectives and grassroots enterprises, while the Floriculture Mission has disbursed ₹22 crore to beneficiaries.

Additionally, under CM ELEVATE, financial assistance worth ₹76 lakh was provided to 180 entrepreneurs to promote self-employment and enterprise development.

The Chief Minister reiterated that the government remains committed to strengthening community institutions and ensuring that welfare schemes reach grassroots levels, aligning with Meghalaya’s vision of inclusive and sustainable development.