Shillong: In the budget presented by the Meghalaya finance minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday, job creation emerged as a central focus, particularly within the IT sector and women’s networks such as Self Help Groups (SHGs).
Sangma shared the government’s aim to generate 20,000 job opportunities in the IT sector and an additional 1 lakh job opportunities through initiatives like SHGs.
During the budget address, Sangma highlighted the significant growth of SHGs in the state over the past five years. He noted that the number of SHG members has risen from 60,000 in 2018 to 4.37 lakh presently, with a combined corpus exceeding 700 crore rupees.
Sangma outlined an ambitious target of creating women’s enterprises valued at 1 billion US Dollars over the next four years. To support these efforts, the budget allocated Rs 389 crore rupees for the continued implementation of the SHG program in the fiscal year 2024-25.
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In response to queries regarding the precise number of job opportunities created in the past six years, Sangma emphasised the need to avoid duplicating calculations. He explained that factors such as SHGs transitioning into farmers’ producer groups could complicate the assessment of job creation. Sangma assured that although figures were not included in the budget speech, the government would provide realistic data as they progress.
Sangma underscored the progress made across various sectors in the past six years, including initiatives targeting SHGs, entrepreneurship, the IT sector, and mission-mode programs. He expressed confidence in the government’s collaborative efforts to drive economic growth and empowerment in Meghalaya.
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