Tura, June 3: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday flagged off 10 PRIME Agriculture Response Vehicles (ARVs), dedicated to assisting farmers and farmers’ organizations in the Garo Hills region as part of the integrated program held at Tura, West Garo Hills.

CM Conrad Sangma, accompanied by Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, attended the Integrated Program at Matchakolgre LP School playground, in New Tura, West Garo Hills, which witnessed distribution of various govt aids to beneficiaries aimed at bolstering the agricultural sector and promoting environmental conservation in the Garo Hills region. The programme also marked felicitation to the toppers of meritorious HSSLC & SSLC students of Garo Hills.

Besides the distributing PRIME Agriculture Response Vehicles, in a bid to promote afforestation and ecological balance, the Chief Minister distrusted a staggering 59.4 lakh seed balls to 297 schools in the Garo Hills region; 3.6 million seed balls will be distributed across the entire state. This initiative aims to instill a sense of environmental responsibility among students while fostering a greener future for Meghalaya.

CM Sangma also distributed financial assistance totalling Rs. 3.02 crores under the Green Meghalaya initiative, also known as the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) Scheme to beneficiaries. This initiative incentivizes sustainable practices and rewards communities for their efforts in preserving the state’s rich natural resources.

In line with the nationwide Mission LIFE campaign initiated by the Government of India, both the Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister participated in a symbolic tree-planting event. Meghalaya has set an ambitious target of planting 5 lakh saplings in the lead-up to World Environment Day. The West Garo Hills District, for its part, aims to plant over 75,000 saplings.