NERCRMS changes lives of Arunachal Pradesh residents

New Delhi, March 18 (IANS): The North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Society (NERCRMS) has brought a change in the lives of Arunachal Pradesh residents, helping them in generating income through various means.

Ministry of Development of North-East Region shared a story of one man whose life was completed changed through the NERCRMS.

Shiha Mog, a resident of Bijoypur-III village under Bordumsa, Arunachal Pradesh had to leave his house, after his marriage, in search of a job.

He had no means to support his family at his village. He moved to another state in search of work, but he was unable to get work that paid enough to support his family.

As he failed in finding a work, he returned home and resumed farming crops on his father’s shared plot of land. However, his family’s requirements could not be met by cultivation alone.

In 2019, NERCRMS came to light in his village and he was able to propose his preferred unit in a NaRMG (Natural Resource Management Group) meeting.

“It was later placed through the Annual Work Plan and Budget 2019-2020. He became the beneficiary of the project under NERCRMS with electrical activity in 2019 and received INR 25,000 from the project. With his INR 5,000 savings, he opened an electrical shop in the village,” said the ministry showing how NERCRMS changed lives.

Initially, Mog undertook house wiring to support his family. Later, it was an additional profession. The project transformed his life, transforming him from an agriculturally dependent individual to a technologically independent individual.

“By earning an amount of INR 12,000 per month, he became more financially secure and focused on his technical profession. As a result of the initiative, the project gave him the opportunity to increase his annual income for his family,” the ministry said.

The ministry also shared how NERCRMS has changed the lives of woman residents of a village, close to the Myanmar border, in the state.

Konsa is one of the villages, where the women who were unable to sell their products at a reasonable price, however with a short training, NERCRMS changed their lives as they are now selling off their products in weekly market set up by the ministry.

The residents here deals into agriculture items i.e chilly, pumpkin, ginger maize, millet and squash as well as non-timber products such as bamboo shoots, banana blossoms, wild edible leaves, and fruits.

Women were unable to promote their locally accessible products and services due to a lack of transportation and high fares, but to promote the local business, the weekly market was adopted under NERCRMS with the help of an NGO.