Kolkata, February 18 – West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has recognized her government's 'Matir Srishti' program and awarded it an international certificate for its community-driven initiatives.
Speaking on social media, Chief Minister Banerjee said: "I am proud to share that the United Nations has once again recognized our initiative. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has awarded us an internationally recognized certificate for our community initiatives in our innovative 'Matir Srishti' program, which we launched in 2020 in our dry western (Paschimanchal) districts."
She further said, "Now, this creative and multi-departmental concept has received UN recognition as a worthy community initiative in the category of preserving natural heritage and biodiversity."
The Chief Minister said that through the 'Matir Srishti' initiative, her government has crafted a unique vision that integrates strategies relating to land development, irrigation, and panchayat-level implementation.
"The vision is to make barren, non-arable, dry, monoculture lands finally fertile and cultivable for growing multiple crops, including horticulture and vegetable cultivation. Additional irrigation support has been created by developing new water bodies such as ponds and other irrigation sources. This has generated millions of livelihood opportunities, and family incomes have increased manifold," she said.
Sharing copies of the certificates received for her government's other initiatives, Banerjee said, "I am further happy to inform that the United Nations (FAO) has also recognized West Bengal's renowned Gobindbhog, Tulaipanji, and Kanakchur aromatic rice as food and cultural heritage."
"I am sharing the Certificates of Recognition received from the Director General of FAO of the United Nations," she added.
She further stated, "The UN-FAO recognition of these initiatives is a prestigious honor for globally recognized good work in conserving natural heritage, biodiversity, and food and cultural heritage. We dedicate this recognition to our entire rural community, especially the farmers of Bengal."
It may be noted that in 2017, the West Bengal government's flagship 'Kanyashree Prakalpa' received the United Nations Public Service Award, securing first place in the global competition.
'Kanyashree Prakalpa' is a targeted conditional cash transfer scheme aimed at preventing child marriage and encouraging girls to continue their education in schools and other educational institutions.
In June 2017, the United Nations conferred the Public Service Award on the West Bengal government for the scheme at a ceremony held at the World Forum in The Hague, the Netherlands.
The scheme, which was conceptualized under the leadership of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, secured the top honor among 552 projects from 62 countries nominated for the award. A trophy and certificate were presented to Banerjee, who attended the ceremony in person.