Shillong: Meghalaya now has 55,000 self-help groups, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma said on Tuesday as he inaugurated the 6th Meghalaya Saras Aajeevika Fair 2025 at the U Soso Tham Auditorium in Shillong.
He described the rapid expansion of SHGs as a “quiet revolution” led by rural women, crediting them with driving both social and economic transformation in villages across the state.
Sangma said the SHG movement grew not from economic intentions alone but from efforts to reduce high maternal mortality rates.
The government’s focus on improving nutrition, family planning, livelihood opportunities and women’s empowerment, he said, has fuelled the exponential rise in community-led groups.
The chief minister noted that Meghalaya is now the second fastest-growing economy in the country, attributing the momentum not only to government spending and capital investments but also to grassroots participation and the contribution of women’s collectives.
He said stronger institutional frameworks and expanded entrepreneurship programmes will be key to the future growth of SHGs.
During the event, community cadres were felicitated and village organisations supporting ICDS services and transit homes for pregnant women were awarded.
Fifteen Har Ghar Tiranga volunteers received certificates.
The programme also included the distribution of micro ATMs in partnership with Meghalaya Rural Bank, loan cheques to SHGs, cold-chain boxes for Pashu Sakhis, and the launch of Nayi Chetna, a national initiative on gender equality.
Fifty Integrated Farming Clusters worth Rs. 20 crore and the Lumlang Marketing Federation were also launched alongside the fair.
More than 60 SHGs and rural entrepreneurs from Meghalaya and other states participated in the exhibition.
