Guwahati: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday visited Siej village in Meghalaya’s East Khasi Hills, where she praised the community’s iconic living root bridges as a symbol of sustainable living and ecological wisdom.
During her interaction with locals, Sitharaman highlighted how generations of villagers have skillfully shaped the aerial roots of rubber trees into natural bridges without damaging the environment. “For over a hundred years, you’ve built bridges that don’t harm trees. You’ve preserved a culture that respects nature and promotes sustainability,” she told the gathering.
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Commending the villagers for their deep-rooted environmental ethos, the Finance Minister said their practices offer timely solutions in a world urgently seeking sustainability. “The people of Siej have already shown what’s possible while the world searches for sustainable answers,” she added.
Sitharaman also supported the village’s aspiration to gain UNESCO recognition for the living root bridges. She emphasized that such recognition goes beyond prestige; it tells the world that indigenous communities have long pioneered sustainable living. “Recognition is not for showing off, but for showing the world that you did it first,” she said.
Calling the structures living metaphors for sustainability, Sitharaman noted that these bridges naturally grow stronger over time without disturbing local ecosystems.
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She praised the village elders who have nurtured the bridges across generations, calling their work “a true example of living with nature.”
Their commitment, she said, aligns perfectly with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision for a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with nature.
She reaffirmed the central government’s support for showcasing traditional, nature-based solutions on global platforms. She stressed the importance of indigenous knowledge in addressing modern environmental challenges.
Following her visit to Siej, the Finance Minister travelled to Sohbar, a scenic village near the India-Bangladesh border, as part of the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP). Addressing residents there, she said border villages should be seen not as the nation’s end points but as its frontlines. “These villages are the eyes and ears of the country and deserve priority development,” she asserted.
She announced that the government will focus on four key development areas for Sohbar and similar villages: improving road connectivity, strengthening digital and telecom infrastructure, ensuring television access, and providing stable electricity. Sitharaman also revealed that the second phase of the VVP now includes India’s eastern border regions, including parts of Meghalaya.