Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday distributed cheques to beneficiaries under the FOCUS+ and Green Meghalaya+ schemes during a programme held at Student’s Field in Ampati, organised by the South West Garo Hills district administration.
Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister said the FOCUS+ programme, launched in July 2022, was designed to provide direct financial assistance of Rs. 5,000 annually to eligible producer households to support rural livelihoods.
He said the scheme follows a “one beneficiary per household” policy to ensure equitable distribution and avoid duplication.
Sangma said that during the initial rollout in 2022–23, a total of 1,50,662 beneficiaries received Rs. 75.33 crore under the scheme.
Following a verification exercise integrated with the Meghalaya One Portal, 93,285 beneficiaries were confirmed eligible, while those removed from the list were allowed to reapply through the portal.
He added that payments for the 2023–24 period were delayed to strengthen the system, after which two instalments of Rs. 2,500 each were released in August and December 2025, amounting to Rs. 46.64 crore.
For the 2024–25 financial year, the government has begun releasing the first instalment of Rs. 2,500 to 93,285 verified beneficiaries along with 11,133 newly verified households from the Garo Hills region, bringing the total number of households supported under FOCUS+ to 1,04,418. So far, Rs. 148.08 crore has been disbursed through the scheme.
In the Garo Hills region alone, the current tranche will benefit 81,046 households, including 11,133 new beneficiaries, with Rs. 20.26 crore being released across the five districts. In South West Garo Hills district, 14,017 beneficiaries will receive a total of Rs. 3.50 crore.
Highlighting the Green Meghalaya+ initiative, Sangma said the programme encourages forest owners and communities to conserve forest land by providing incentives ranging from Rs. 10,000 to Rs. 20,000 per hectare under the Payment for Ecosystem Services model.
He noted that Meghalaya has around 17,000 square kilometres of forest cover and the government aims to conserve one lakh hectares under the initiative.
According to the chief minister, more than 2,800 beneficiaries have already conserved nearly 40,000 hectares of forest land across the state.
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A total of Rs. 77.21 crore has been disbursed under Green Meghalaya+, including Rs. 34.73 crore in the Garo Hills region, while another Rs. 48 crore is set to be released to beneficiaries in the current phase.
In South West Garo Hills district, incentives worth Rs. 48.23 lakh are being distributed to beneficiaries from Rerapara, Zikzak and Betasing blocks for conserving 551.18 hectares of forest land.
Speaking at the programme, Rangsakona MLA Subir M Marak reiterated the government’s commitment to improving livelihoods through initiatives such as FOCUS+ and Green Meghalaya+, and said efforts were ongoing to ensure that financial assistance reaches people across the region.
Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of South West Garo Hills Anendya Raajsshre welcomed the gathering and thanked community leaders, artists and volunteers for their contribution to the programme.
The event was attended by Salmanpara MLA Ian Botham K Sangma, Mahendraganj MLA Sanjay A Sangma, Nogorpara MDC Linekar K Sangma and Boldamgre MDC Stevie M Marak, along with district officials, community leaders and beneficiaries.
Selected beneficiaries received cheques under both schemes during the programme, which concluded with a vote of thanks delivered by Additional Deputy Commissioner and Project Director, DRDA, Raymond Z D Shira.
The event highlighted the state government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen rural livelihoods while promoting environmental conservation.
