Staff Reporter
KOHIMA, DECEMBER 2
CHIEF Minister Neiphiu Rio, in presence of Union Minister for Development of North East Region (DoNER) Paban Singh Ghatowar and other dignitaries from the Centre and State, formally launched the North East Rural Livelihoods Project (NERLP) was launched here this evening.The project was launched to increase economic and livelihood for the rural population, and to further create a sustainable community institutions for women self-help groups (SHGs), youth groups of men and women (YG) and community development groups (CDG).
Nagaland is one among the four North Eastern states being selected for the implementation of NERLP, a project funded by World Bank. And with the formal launching this evening, the State now joins Tripura and Sikkim which have already launched the same project. Mizoram will soon launch the project as soon as the assembly election results are declared, it was informed.
NERLP is taken up in the four NE states with an outlay of Rs Rs 683.20 crore and it covers two districts in each state for a five-year period.
This was informed by the Union Minister of State for DoNER who graced the launching ceremony as the guest of honour.
He said the NERLP is taken based on the learning from North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project (NERCORMP), which is widely acclaimed as the most successful livelihood project implemented in the NER.
In Nagaland, the two districts selected for the project are Peren and Tuensang. The selection was done in consultation with the State government and it will cover all the villagers in these two districts, Ghatowar said.
He further disclosed that around Rs 100-150 crore would be made available for the two districts for implementing the project.
“The project believes in the innate capacity of the rural poor to find solutions for their problems. It believes in the need for the poor to organize themselves to improve their lives and take up sustainable livelihood activities,” he said adding that the Ministry of DoNER is committed to the development of North Eastern states.
The NERLP also has plans to improve the skill development of youth for employability and establishment of self and/or group managed enterprises, while it will also work out to develop partnership of community institutions for natural resource management, microfinance, market linkages, and sectoral economic services.
The project will create access to finance through linkages with banks and other financial institutions, and further towards managing natural resources and improving agriculture for food security and income enhancement from farming and allied activities.
Earlier, the welcome address was delivered by CL John, Parliamentary Secretary or Rural Development & SIRD, while an overview on NERLP was presented by HK Hajong, project director NERLP. The Secretary DoNER and a representative from World Bank also delivered brief speeches. The vote of thanks was tendered by Ringsanbo Zeliang, State project coordinator, NERLP.
During the programme, the department also handed out cheque of Rs 40,000 each to five Self Help Groups.
CHIEF Minister Neiphiu Rio today underlined the need for reviewing projects and schemes being implemented in the State. He felt that the more transparency we are, the more successful the state will be in implementing the schemes.
“There are too many government schemes and programmes, and this is confusing the public. When there are too many opportunities, it has chances of being misused,” Rio said.
He was addressing the project launching ceremony of NERLP at Hotel Japfü as the chief guest.
The Chief Minister further stressed the need to monitor the Self Help Groups (SHGs) at the village level in order to maintain transparency. He said the success of Village Development Boards only led to the idea of communitization in the State, which got recognition from the United Nations.
“Many a time, we implement schemes and programme without identifying the strength of the community. And, this becomes a setback in the long run,” he said while observing that investment should not have a diminishing return, but have dividends.
Formally launching the North East Rural Livelihoods Project, the CM also urged the beneficiaries not to misuse the opportunity but to use it judiciously to uplift the economy of the rural poor.
“To achieve the aims and objectives of the project, we will need a combined effort from all sections of people. And once the project is successful, we can revolutionize the country,” Rio said. He also thanked the DoNER Ministry for the initiative and the World Bank for funding the project.
