SHILLONG, FEB 2: To transform the lives of the youth in the State, ensuring their successful transition from school to work, Meghalaya Cabinet on Friday approved the constitution of the State Human Development Council (SHDC) for implementation of the Multisectoral Project for Adolescent Wellbeing, Empowerment and Resilience (MPOWER) in the state.
Addressing media persons , Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said that the SHDC will be headed by the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma.
He said the chairman of the state executive level will be the chief secretary while all respective deputy commissioners will be the head of the district level committees for the implementation of these new initiatives of the government.
“Through this initiative in the name of MPOWER, the government will focus on how to make sure the physical and mental health of those children and also to make sure the skill beyond 9 is in place because after 9 years old they understand what is their interest and what interest they want,” Tynsong said.
“So through this initiative taken by the government I am very sure we will be able to take care right from 0-9, again 9 to 18-19 and beyond that because we really wanted to make sure that each and every citizen right from their childhood they are being taken care of physically, mentally and also the government will also try to identify their interest, future and career in the days to come,” he added.
The implementation of MPOWER is expected to bring about positive and lasting changes in the lives of young people, fostering a healthier and more empowered future for Meghalaya.
The program will offer coordinated multi-sectoral interventions for adolescents aged 9-19, focusing on building productivity and resilience. The interventions will cover both in-school and out-of-school adolescents, utilizing a user-centric approach. As part of this, the Meghalaya Human Development Council has been constituted to provide overall guidance and to channelise systemic efforts from all concerning departments, agencies and institutions contributing to improve the human development indicators.