The State Institute of Rural Development, (SIRD) Meghalaya, established in the year 1986, was formally inaugurated on 6th September by the then Chief Minister of Meghalaya Mr. P. A. Sangma. Situated 20 kilometres from the capital city, Shillong, SIRD was set up to fulfill the long felt needs of the Government to provide regular training to its officers and other functionaries engaged in rural development. The main objective of the Institute is to train various categories of people and to uplift the socio-economic standards of people in the rural areas in general and the rural poor in particular. The immediate task is to impart knowledge on rural development through training courses, seminars, workshops etc. The other aims and objectives as listed in the Memorandum of Association (MoA) are briefly to undertake, assist and promote research, training and evaluation studies on various aspects of rural development in the State. The SIRD operates as an autonomous institution at the state level and coordinates its efforts with various departments/organizations within and outside the State and NIRD for meeting its objectives. The State Institute of Rural Development is the Apex Training Institute for Rural Development in Meghalaya through a Government notification. Since inception till March 2004 the SIRD has conducted, a total of 453 training programmes benefiting a total 15362 participants. Off-Campus programmes held at district and block headquarters feature as part of the Institute’s annual training programme. The faculty members of the Institute are deputed regularly to attend training programmes at NIRD and other training institutions for enhancing their knowledge and skills in rural development training. The SIRD publishes a regular newsletter for disseminating information related to the activities of the Institute and rural development in the State.

The SIRD Meghalaya collaborates with various organizations to achieve its objective. Through this networking, the Institute has played a major role in social mobilization and bringing about effective participation of the people in the implementation of rural development programmes encouraging the formation of Self Help Groups (SHGs) and other village level institutions. About 200 plus SHGs have been promoted and their managerial, technical and risk bearing capacity have been enhanced as a result of the Institute’s involvement in the field. With a view to aid the Community and Rural Development Department (C&RD) in successfully implementing of SGSY programme in a sustained manner, the Institute in consultation with the Director C&RD Government of Meghalaya has submitted a project proposal on Capacity Building through Training for Community Facilitators of Self Help Groups and Block Level Implementing Officials. This project will bring about enhancement of knowledge and skills in the implementation of SGSY and a change in attitude among the concerned participants with regard to their dealings with the people in the rural areas. The project also aims at creation of awareness on the opportunities for participating in the improvement of the livelihood of the community on the principle of self-reliance. A similar programme is being taken up by the SIRD in connection with Watershed Development since 2001 and has shown tremendous progress. Most of the officials of the PIAs (viz. the Soil and Water Conservation Department) have been covered and training modules for further enhancement of knowledge and skills through demand driven training programmes in Watershed Management are under preparation. Mention may be made that the SIRD has been declared as the State Training and Support Organisation (STSO) and the State Level Training Institute (SLTI) in Watershed Management. Among the main networkers are the NIRD at the National Level, the Community and Rural Development Department, the Soil Conservation Department and the DRDAs at the State Level. The Rural Resource and Training Centre run by a NGO Bosco Reach Out, ICAR NEH Region and the State Departments of Social Welfare and Agriculture are also one of the major contributors in making the activities of the Institute result oriented.

The SIRD Meghalaya is now gearing up to implement special projects on its own for the upliftment of the people in the rural areas of the state. Two to three project areas have been identified for this task and projects based on selected key activities are being formulated (viz Beekeeping & Honey Processing and Production of Exotic Vegetables and Fruits Using Greenhouse and Net House Technology). At present, the SIRD is taking up a pilot project on Integrated Village Development in the Shella-Bhollaganj C&RD Block, which is also one of the areas identified for implementation of these special projects. Research and Action Research that are the major activities of the SIRD will be taken up through a strong support from other Institutions and Organisations particularly the NIRD at the initial part.

Besides acting as a clearing house for information relating to Rural Development through its various activities and facilities, the SIRD is preparing to act as a brain trust and provide recommendations for rural development policy formulation in general and training and research in particular. Necessary steps in recommending the adoption of a State Training Policy in line with the National Training Policy are being taken up.

A close working relation is being maintained with the North Eastern Space Application Centre and a training programme via Satellite communication was organized during 2002-03 at Thangsning Village in East Khasi Hills District. Both the Organisations are working on a number of training modules to be implemented during the current year under the Training and Development Communication Channel (TDCC) Programme of NESAC. These programmes would enable the Institute to cover a large number of participants at a time through the direct receiving stations (DRS) set up at various places. A discussion towards finalization of setting up a DRS at SIRD is also taking place.

The other plan of action for further development of the SIRD Meghalaya form the current year onwards are:

• Provide Consultancy Services in RD
• Project Formulation for income generating activities etc
• Creation of avenues and providing linkages in areas of income generation, marketing, and improvement of the service sector
• Network and develop linkages with specialized institutions
• Building Managerial and Technical Capacity of the rural masses
• Identify High Potential Key Activities in the State – preliminary work in this regard is underway and some major activities have already been identified in select Districts
• Provide Technology Support in Watershed Management, Income Generating Activities, infrastructure development etc