Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, along with Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma, launched the GREEN Meghalaya Plus scheme on Wednesday in Tura.
The GREEN Meghalaya Plus initiative is part of the state government’s Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) program, which offers incentives of up to ₹20,000 per hectare per year to communities and individuals for conserving forest cover.
GREEN Meghalaya Plus aims to expand forest conservation by an additional 50,000 hectares (500 sq km). Over the years, more than 3,000 individuals and communities have benefited from the scheme, conserving over 54,000 hectares of natural forest.
Speaking at the launch, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma expressed his gratitude to beneficiaries from across Garo Hills who attended the event, celebrating their collective efforts in conservation.
“In the last seven years, the government has laid the foundation and initiated programs that have benefited our people, leading to accelerated growth and development. There is a significant turnaround in the size of our economy today. As a government, we are leveraging funds from the state, center, and external agencies for the growth of our state,” Sangma said.
Highlighting the need to balance development with environmental responsibility, he added, “We must be responsible towards the environment and work in harmony to balance nature and development.”
Sangma noted that while the government invests in afforestation projects, Meghalaya has pioneered the GREEN Meghalaya (PES) model to conserve existing natural forests. “We are conserving the forest, rather than waiting for afforestation projects in the future,” he added.
In the past two years, the state government has spent over ₹44 crore on forest conservation efforts, and an additional ₹200 crore has been earmarked for future conservation initiatives. Sangma urged communities to actively and responsibly participate in protecting and conserving forest cover.
A key feature of the new PES 2.0 guidelines is the reduction in the minimum area required for participation from 2 hectares to 1 hectare, enabling smaller landowners and communities to take part in the scheme.
Education Minister Rakkam Sangma expressed hope that the scheme would further motivate and encourage people to protect and conserve forest cover. He noted that Garo Hills, with its rich green coverage, stands to benefit from the government’s financial assistance for conservation efforts.
During the event, individuals and communities from various parts of Garo Hills expressed their gratitude to the government for the GREEN Meghalaya scheme, which has supported conservation efforts and provided funds for plantation activities to protect catchment areas.
One beneficiary shared that there had initially been confusion among villagers, who thought the scheme required them to sell their land to the government. However, increased awareness by the government clarified that the scheme is solely for conservation and provides financial assistance for community-driven initiatives.
Cheques were distributed to beneficiaries under the CM Elevate, Focus, and Payment for Ecosystem Services programs during the event.
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