About MBDA

Meghalaya grapples with complex challenges in pursuing sustainable growth, stemming from demand and supply issues. On the demand side, maximizing farmer productivity faces hurdles due to deteriorating natural resources, unsustainable land use, and climate change effects. Farmers struggle to connect with markets, access capital, and leverage collective marketing, leading to urban migration. The enterprise sector, despite significant investments, is in its nascent stages. On the supply side, a top-down approach creates a disconnect, and a lack of convergence platforms results in duplicity of efforts and resource wastage.

To address these challenges, the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), established in 2012, works to implement adaptable solutions. Headed by the Chief Secretary, it focuses on harnessing natural resources for livelihood opportunities and inclusive development. MBDA actively promotes Natural Resource Management (NRM) initiatives and facilitates access to capital and high-leverage markets and supports the development of the agri sector. The primary goal is poverty alleviation and enhanced quality of life through collaborative programs involving stakeholders, government departments, and traditional institutions. MBDA emphasizes effective planning, good governance, timely interventions, and adequate investment.

Aims and Objectives

The aims and objectives for which the MBDA is established are as under:

  1. To sustainably develop river basin resources which can ultimately lead to promoting sustainable livelihoods and gainful employment opportunities for residents of river basins, independent or through the convergence of initiatives.
  2. To, without any motives to earn profit, enhance and improve the livelihood for the poor in the state of Meghalaya.
  3. To increase sustainable income generating cultivation systems and establishment of micro/ small scale/ medium scale bio-industrial units.
  4. To enable people’s participation to select livelihood activities most suited to their resources, skills, and interest.
  5. To address the felt needs and priorities of women and increase their participation in local institutions and decision-making processes.
  6. To promote micro finance including saving, and thrift and micro insurance projects.
  7. To provide business development services including demonstrations, trainings, consultancies and advisory services on all matters relating to technical, organizational, management commencement and expansion of the enterprise, purchasing techniques, production, purchases, sales, material and cost, quality control, marketing, advertising, publicity, personnel’ information technology services, development and transfer, backward and forward business linkage promotion and horizontal linkage among enterprises, export and import to and for institutions/ concerns/ bodies/ associations/ corporations/ public and local authorities/ trusts/ cooperative societies.
  8. To help in promoting sustainable enterprises at micro and small-scale levels especially to the poor by way of providing equity, debt financing, leasing, insurance and other means
  9. To rotate and utilize the resources of the authority for ongoing building up of new enterprises by exciting the enterprises that have achieved the sustainable scale and viability, through appropriate mechanisms; and
  10. To act as a catalyst in facilitating mobilization of financial resources to micro/small/ medium scale enterprises to benefit the poor.

about mbda

The Four Pillars of MBDA

MBDA has developed a unique 4-pillar structure that emphasizes bottom-up, citizen-centric, and inclusive development comprising four key components: Natural Resource Management, Entrepreneurship Development, Good Governance, and Knowledge Management. Natural Resource Management focuses on the sustainable use of natural resources to enable long-term, inclusive, and ecologically sound development. Entrepreneurship Development encompasses a range of processes designed to support existing and potential entrepreneurs by creating a conducive and enabling environment for enterprises to thrive. Good Governance initiatives stress transparency, inclusiveness, and stakeholder participation through systematic engagement with traditional institutions and civil societies, adaptive leadership programs, social impact assessments, and programs that promote ethics in governance. Knowledge Management forms the backbone of the entire process, providing a network of support services that include accessible repositories, documentation, lesson learning, action research, and communication and outreach.

The institutional structure of MBDA involves the participation of the highest level of Government to enable convergence down the entire structure

 
MBDC
Policy Level
Meghalaya Basin Development Council
Apex body headed by the Chief Minister and the Council of Ministers, responsible for providing overall direction and strategy for the programme
MBDA
State Level
Meghalaya Basin Development Authority
The Chief Secretary is the Chairman and Principal Secretaries as members, ensuring departmental convergence
DBDU
District Level
The District Basin Development Units (DBDUs) are headed by the respective Deputy Commissioners, ensuring convergence of various arms of the government at the district.
EFC
Block Level
The Enterprise Facilitation Centres (EFCs) are institutions that act as an interface between the Citizens and the Government.
 

Current Works

MBDA is currently implementing two externally aided projects (EAP) namely, JICA-funded Project for Community-Based Forest Management and Livelihoods Improvement in Meghalaya (MegLIFE) and KfW Development Bank-funded Meghalaya Protection of Vulnerable Catchment Areas (MegARISE). MBDA’s other mandates remain constant - it continues to play an important role in environmental and natural resource conservation initiatives through the Institute of Natural Resources, Meghalaya (INR), supports critical development programs through viability gap funding, facilitates enterprise building and livelihood promotion interventions, contributes to climate change management, adaptation, and mitigation awareness through the Meghalaya Climate Change Centre (MCCC), and provides strong and accessible knowledge services to support the implementation of the various development initiatives of MBDA and the State.