SHILLONG, FEB 20: Meghalaya will host the ‘International Indigenous Terra madre Festival’ on November for connecting the state and the north east region with the rest of the globe through rich indigenous biological and cultural diversity.
The state government has estimated approximately Rs 10 crores for hosting the international event and the venue will spread across the state.
“The state government has agreed to host the International Indigenous Terra madre Festival, which is expected to be held in November this year,” Meghalaya chief minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after a first sitting of the State Level Steering Committee (SLSC) on Friday.
The SLSC is a joint committee of the state government and the North Slow Food & Agrobiodiversity Society (NESFAS).
Sangma, who is also heading the committee said, “The festival is an opportunity to connect our people, our state, our region and country with the rest of the global society particularly with special focus on our indigenous community and different culture and way of life.”
The funding aspect for the event will be supported partly by the state government and partly by the NESFAS.
“We have estimated Rs 10 crores approximately for the various components of the proposed programmes,” Sangma said while informing that the state government has to invest to take care of the infrastructure.
Sangma informed the committee is doing auditing of the infrastructural facilities available in those areas including host villages who have agreed to co host. “Therefore there will be other expenditures which will be linked for creating further assets beneficial for the state,” he said.
Sangma also said that he would be writing personal letters to the different chief ministers of north east states to encourage their people to also participate in the event.
Informing that the government has also taken up the issue of clearance with the Ministry of External Affairs for hosting this event, Sangma said, “Designated senior officers have already been given the responsibility to take up the necessary clearances from the MEA at the earliest.”
In addition to this, NESFAS chairman Phrang Roy said, “We are expecting about 500 international delegates many of them will be indigenous people like us representing between 70 to 80 different indigenous communities outside India and about 40 countries.”
He said the aim of Meghalaya government and Indigenous Terra madre is to celebrate the state’s biological and cultural diversity that in the local communities, their songs, their dances, their foods and above all their knowledge in term of nature.”
Roy also informed that different local foods systems that are often ignored for their importance to the health and environment will be highlighted during the festival.
Meanwhile, 40 villages have also expressed their interest to be the co-hosts the event.
Roy said, “They (villages) have agreed that they will make sure that before the event they will cover all the houses with total sanitation, reduce waste management and improve their systems and show to the world as a community and as people working with the government, development has work and is based on their identity.”
Roy informed that the chief minister has instructed departments like public health, IT, PWD to pay special attention to the infrastructure that is required. He revealed that they are trying to get the Christene Anu, a tribal woman who sang the closing song at the Sydney Olympic.- By Our Reporter
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