Chizokho Vero
Kohima | Jan 5
In a major boost for the rural populace, a rural development package of Council for Advancement of People’s Action in Rural Technology (CAPART) has touched the state capital by sponsoring a 10 days “Buyers & Sellers Meet” (Gram Shree Mela) from today at the Kohima local ground in collaboration with Good Shepherd Ministry, Kohima
Being held under the theme “Building up village wealth,” the ‘Mela’ (fair) houses around 40 stalls from different parts of the state including Manipur and Tripura and it will go on till January 14.
“We hope every success for this Gram Shree Mela so that more and more families from rural India will be sufficiently independent and can take part in the national progress,” said Getanjali, regional representative, CAPART North East Zone, Guwahati.
She invites various NGOs in Nagaland to visit the NE Zone office at Guwahati and avail the opportunity.
The fair is a gateway through which rural producers come together to market their products, providing opportunity to rural producers to sell their products directly in major market, also to interact with buyers, to study and comprehend to buyers’ taste, preferences and choices, she said.
The fair helps them to upgrade their products and marketing skills and provide a better service to the consumer while benefiting from a larger marketing opportunity, she added.
CAPART organizes Gram Shree Melas across the country through some selected voluntary organizations. CAPART, an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Rural Development, was established in 1986 with a mandate to encourage, promote and facilitate voluntary action for the enhancement of rural prosperity and inject new technological inputs in the implementation of rural development project.
CAPART made available financial assistance to voluntary organisations to combat poverty and provide income generating opportunity for, especially, below- poverty families through community initiative, she said.
CAPART North East Zonal office was set up mainly for promoting, encouraging and assisting voluntary organizations to work of the upliftment of the rural areas.
Over the years, about 1000 NGOs from all eight states receiving assistance from CAPART and successfully implemented several projects.
The main schemes for which CAPART has been extending assistance include, public cooperation, organization of beneficiaries, advancement of rural technology, disability, Gram Swara Andolan, skill development training, organizing workshop, seminar and Gram Shree Melas.
Earlier inaugurating the fair, Hillo Kemp, Project Director, District Rural Development Agency Kohima stressed on the need to develop villages especially on the socio economic front.
“Majority of the villagers in the interior areas are living below poverty line and their conditions are pathetic. Many of this people are poor, needy and marginalized,” he said. He hoped that the fair will become a ‘turning point in the history of rural development’ on various fronts in Nagaland.
Atuolie, Mepfu-o, Chairman of Kohima Village Council, Johny Rengma, state representative CAPART also spoke on the occasion while Dr. ER Lotha, chief functionary, Good Shepherd Ministry, Kohima chaired the inaugural.
Besides exhibition-sale of various agricultural and horticultural products, handloom and handicrafts, flowers etc., there will also be a buyers and sellers seminar/workshop where local producers will be taught the skills of entrepreneurship, quality service, skills of networking etc.
