Indian Govt Aid to Uplift Northeast India’s Poor

New Delhi, Jun 8 : The rural development ministry Monday released aid to four northeastern states under a government scheme that aims to organize the rural poor into self-help groups and ultimately raise them above the poverty line.

The four northeastern states to which aid has been released are Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura.

‘The self-help group approach of the centrally-sponsored Swarnjayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana helps the poor build self-confidence through community action. Interactions in group meetings and collective decision-making enables them in identification and prioritization of their needs and resources,’ an official statement said.

‘This process would ultimately lead to the strengthening and socio-economic empowerment of the rural poor as well as improve their collective bargaining power,’ it added.

Under the first installment, the ministry released Rs.12,046,000 to eight districts of Arunachal Pradesh for the financial year 2010-11, the statement said.

For the state of Meghalaya, Rs.13,788,000 was released for three districts. The aid, the statement said will be disbursed to the respective district rural development agencies.

The ministry released grant in aid worth Rs.23,096,000 for nine districts of Nagaland and for Tripura’s four districts, Rs.65,310,000 was released.