Mizoram to seek Rs 380 cr aid from IFAD to empower 75,000 families under flagship scheme

Aizawl, Sep 2 The Mizoram government will seek Rs 380 crore from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) to implement its flagship programme FOCUS 2.0 to economically empower the 75,000 households, mostly farmers, officials said on Tuesday.

The Mizoram government has decided to launch FOCUS 2.0 (Fostering Climate Resilient Upland Farming Systems) as a continuation of the FOCUS 1.0 programme under the handholding scheme. A senior official said that the governing council of the Society for Climate Resilient Agriculture in Mizoram (SCRAM), formed to implement the FOCUS 2.0 programme, held its meeting on Tuesday.

Chief Minister Lalduhoma presided over the meeting at the Planning and Programme Implementation Department Conference Hall. The official said that the proposal for financial support amounting to Rs 380 crore from the IFAD has been approved by the state Finance Department for external loan assistance, and the Government of India’s approval is currently being sought.

The programme would be implemented through various departments in convergence, with the Planning and Programme Implementation Department as the nodal agency.

According to the official, FOCUS 2.0 would be implemented in all 11 districts of the state, covering 700 villages and benefiting 75,000 households. Of this, 7,000 households from landless farming families would also be included.

The programme has been designed with a strong focus on including women beneficiaries. The official said that the new Governing Council of FOCUS 2.0 was formally notified on August 20 under the name SCRAM. The Chief Minister serves as the ex officio Chairman, and the Planning Secretary as the ex officio Member Secretary. The scheme would be implemented over a period of six years.

The meeting discussed modalities for implementation, including revision of certain operational frameworks and nomenclature, continuation and modification of assets and resources created under FOCUS 1.0, and the structure of implementing agencies at the state, district, and village levels, the official said.

Recruitment and engagement of project functionaries were also deliberated. The meeting was attended by P.C. Vanlalruata, Minister of Agriculture; Lalthansanga, Minister of Land Resources, Soil and Water Conservation; T.B.C. Lalvenchhunga, the Chief Minister’s adviser and Chief Secretary Khilli Ram Meena, along with other members.

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