A team of KfW, a German Development Bank, visited Ukhrul on Saturday and interacted with the WRCG and SHG of Choithar and Shirui villages and visited and inspected the entry point activities, afforestation and central nursery being taken up in the respective villages.
TFM Ukhrul Correspondent
As part of KfW (a German state-owned investment and development bank) review on the Community Forestry and Water Conservation Society Manipur (COSFOM) project being taken up in Manipur, a team from Germany, Delhi and Imphal visited Choithar and Shirui villages and interacted with the WRCC (Water Resource Conservation Group) and SHG (Self Help Group) of the two villages.
The visiting team comprises of Project Manager, Jan Eric Voss, Portfolio Manager, Natural Resources and Climate Asia, Jonas Muller, Senior Sector Specialist, KfW Office, New Delhi, Sangeeta Aggarwal, Sector Specialist, KfW Office, New Delhi, Saravan Kumar Veerasivam, Procuremnet Expert, Lydia Prymachenko, CTA/GFA, Manohar Shreshtha , ACTA/GFA, K. Hrishikesh Singh, DFO of Thoubal, Th. Lokendro Singh, DFO of Ukhrul, Shanngam Shaliwo and members of Project Management Unit of COSFOM.
Jonas Muller stated “We have come all the way from Germany so that we can speak to you in person and learnt from you and also to understand your perspective on the project.”
“The village has benefited so much from KfW. In three years we have received around Rs. 30 lakhs through the various projects being taken up in the village. In the initial stage, the funding was not regular and this has disheartened the villagers. With regular funding and disbursement of fund on time will boost and propel the project” stated Headman of Choithar Village during the interaction session. Under WRCG Choithar, there are 8 SHG who have taken up farming, poultry and piggery as their generating income activities under livelihood projects.
Chairman of Shirui WRCG, Salma Hongray expressed gratitude to the visiting team. He stated that the villagers have greatly benefited from the project. Leaders of SHG expressed gratitude for the project being taken up under KfW. The common people especially the women folk have started saving by contributing among the members. We took up sanitation programme in the village. We took loan and engaged in poultry, piggery, fishery and bakery.
One elder of Shirui villages stated “we have seen so many changes through this project, here we know it as German Project.”
The Shirui Village WRCG expressed disappointment with the NGO partner for not performing their duty properly. The NGO partner has to be there in the village for 20 days in a month to assist and monitor the working of the WRCG. However, the NGO rarely visited the village.
The visiting team inspected the construction of water supply with reservoir tank at Shanghnao Tang, Khongmeireng Tang and Kahor Tang at Shirui. The three tanks are already functional with proper water pipe connections. They also visited the tree plantation site at Ramseikathi area. Mixed species afforestation is being carried out in the open space for rejuvenation of forest in the area. The team also inspected the construction of water supply with reservoir tank at Leiya Tang and central nursery bed at Kongha Ngayi at Choithar Village.