Meghalaya PHE Minister Marcuise N Marak to review PHE mode of functioning

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 10: Minister in charge of Public Health Engineering (PHE) Marcuise N Marak today said he would aggressively monitor the implementation of funds sanctioned by the central government for providing drinking water to the people of Meghalaya.

ALSO READ: Meghalaya NPP leader Marcuise N Marak denies ‘horse trading’ charge

After chairing his first meeting with the top officials of the department, Marak told reporters that they have apprised him of the position of the department and that he has decided to immediately review the functioning of the department on Saturday.

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The PHE minister said that the state has been getting funds from the Government of India, which is investing to provide drinking water facilities in the state while asserting that this needs to be implemented properly so that for the next 30 years the state will not have any problem.

“Therefore, I will monitor aggressively and I will personally inspect the projects wherever the projects are being constructed and I will make sure our Meghalaya state in terms of PHE department whatever money the central government is giving is implemented properly,” he assured.

On the issue of scarcity of water supply, Marak said, “I will try to find out what is the reason behind the scarcity. Of course, as you are aware most of the catchment areas are drying up. Maybe because of that also scarcity is there. Otherwise, if the department is having problems in bringing water to the people, if that is also there I will check and ensure it is implemented properly.”

He also assured to ensure proper implementation of the Jal Jeevan Mission which is to provide functional water taps to every household in the state.

Meghalaya NPP leader Marcuise N Marak denies ‘horse trading’ charge

Staff Reporter

Shillong, March 10: National People’s Party leader and spokesperson of the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance – 2.0 government Marcuise N Marak has categorically denied that his party and its allies were engaging in ‘horse trading’.

“There is no horse trading at all,” Marak told reporters when responding to a query on the allegation made by the former chief minister Mukul Sangma that the alternative government could not be formed by regional parties, AITC and Congress, due to the horse trading.

“If some of the newly elected MLAs wanted to join the NPP-led government then our duty is to welcome them. So therefore, where is horse trading? There is no horse trading at all,” he firmly stated.

On his first day in office, Marak, who is also a cabinet minister in-charge of public health engineering (PHE), expressed confidence that the MDA government will perform well.

He said that he found that the portfolios given to all ministers were quite fairly distributed.

“Most of the ministers are very experienced – Paul, Ampareen and Mondal are very senior. These are ministers who have already proven their efficiency. Therefore, I hope this cabinet will perform well and I will also try my level best to perform well,” Marak said.

From shop keeping to becoming a knitting entrepreneur- The story of Malpleasha Mylliemngap

Shillong | March 8, 2023
Malpleasha Mylliemngap, is a mother of 5 who hails from Laitkroh, East Khasi Hills, Meghalaya. Prior to taking up knitting garments as a full fledged business activity, her main source of livelihood was through shop keeping. Knitting was only a hobby before she took it up as a livelihood activity.
It was on days when her shopkeeping business was very low that she started knitting boots for babies through which she received many other orders because of the unique designs and quality products. Soon after, she also got orders for knitted scarves and shawls. Through her undivided commitment and perseverance, more orders came in for knitted caps, socks, purses, hoodies and dresses. She extensively relied on YouTube tutorials to learn different techniques and designs.
She also started a knitting class at the cost of five hundred rupees (₹500/-) per person where she provides training to the youth not only to upskill them but for employment generation. She has created a name for herself in her village and her daughter who is also a nurse makes time amidst her busy schedule to learn her mother’s craft.
Malpleasha wishes to expand her business and be able to be completely depend on it for her daily sustenance. As the knitting process is a tedious one that requires a lot of time and patience along with skills, it was a challenge for her to complete all orders on time because she did not have additional skilled manpower to help her. She also struggles with the lack of readily available and cheaper wool. The wool that she uses is bought from Shillong which is approximately 25km from her village.
Her enthusiasm for knitting led her to get identified under the PRIME Sauramandala Rural Entrepreneurship Programme (PSREF), a project under PRIME Meghalaya. Now she also hopes to come up with an official brand name for her products and also be financially able to purchase machines to produce uniform products. She was able to make the most use of support provided to her as part of the PRIME programme that helped her realize her potential.
This article has been featured in collaboration with PRIME Entrepreneurship Meghalaya. To know more about PRIME, visit: https://www.primemeghalaya.com/