25-07-2025
Meghalaya inks 13 MoUs to drive rural economy
Shillong: Meghalaya govt on Friday inked 13 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with leading technical and research institutions to drive grassroots entrepreneurship.
The MoUs were signed at the Summit for Rural Empowerment held at the State Convention Centre here.
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These partnerships — under Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM) — aim to transform rural enterprise development by facilitating technology transfer, product innovation, and access to national markets.
Officials confirmed that six more MoUs are in the pipeline, poised to further energise the state's rural economy.
The initiatives focus on converting local resources into high-value, eco-friendly products.
Notable innovations under development include turning pineapple and banana waste into bio-fertilizers and packaging material, processing flowers into herbal dyes and 'gulal', extracting essential oils from medicinal plants, and developing nutraceuticals and value-added foods from millets, sweet potato, and tapioca.
CM Conrad K Sangma, speaking at the event, said the summit reflects the govt's impact on farmers, women's collectives and rural communities. He added that nearly 55,000 self-help groups with over five lakh women have been formed in seven years, and that two lakh farmers and 20,000 producer groups are receiving govt support. He mentioned the CM Assure programme, through which Rs 50 crore was spent to stabilize prices for key crops.
