Mani Shankar Aiyar in Senapati district on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Maram (Senapati), Dec. 2: DoNER minister Mani Shankar Aiyar today assured the people of Senapati and Ukhrul that the community resource management project being implemented by the North Eastern Council in the two districts would either be extended or a similar project taken up by the World Bank.

The project — North Eastern Region Community Resource Management Project for Upland Areas in Manipur, Assam and Meghalaya, covers 860 villages and reaches out to 39,151 families apart from 3,168 self-help groups in six districts of the three states.

The Rs159.84-crore project was launched in the three states in 1999. The project ended in September this year. However, the Centre extended it up to March next year.

Out of the 600 villages in Senapati district, the project reaches up to 147 villages.

The objectives of the project include ensuring food security, removing poverty and providing water and sanitation facilities by enhancing earning capacities through loans to self-help groups.

“I will do everything to see that either the project is extended or the World Bank launches a similar project. There will not be any break. I am quite impressed with the progress of the project here,” Aiyar said after interacting with the leaders of some self-help groups.

“My family can now earn Rs 100 to Rs 200 daily after the project took off. Such an income a month earlier was unthinkable,” said Mary, one of the beneficiaries during the interaction with the minister.