India has signed an agreement with the World Bank for a USD 48 million loan to strengthen community-led landscapes management in selected area in Meghalaya, the finance ministry said on April 16.

The closing date for โ€˜Meghalaya Community โ€“ Led Landscapes Management Project (MCLLMP)โ€™ is June 30, 2023.

According to the ministryโ€™s statement, the project has three components โ€“ strengthening knowledge and capacity for natural resource management; community-led landscape planning and implementation and project management and governance.

โ€œThe project will help manage these depleting resources, by strengthening the communities and traditional institutions,โ€ the statement said.

Meghalayaโ€™s natural resources like land, water and forests are sources of livelihood for a majority of Meghalayaโ€™s population.

โ€œRestoration of degraded and highly degraded landscapes under the project will increase water for local communities and improve the soil productivity which will in turn increase incomes and reduce poverty,โ€ the ministry said, reports Business Standard.