Shan State Chief Minister U Sai Htein Zaw Urges Project Success and Improved Rural Livelihoods

Taunggyi, July 17

At a handover ceremony held at 10 a.m. today, July 17, at the Taunggyi City Hall for equipment provided under the Shan State Small and Cottage Industries Department’s project to create small-scale production businesses and raise rural household incomes, Shan State Chief Minister U Sai Htein Zaw stressed the importance of project success and improving the social and economic lives of rural residents.

The ceremony was attended by Chief Minister U Sai Htein Zaw, the Shan State Hluttaw Speaker, the State Chief Justice, State Government ministers, department heads, district and township-level officials, ward and village-tract administrators, project team leaders and members, and trainees.

In his remarks, Chief Minister U Sai Htein Zaw said the Shan State Small and Cottage Industries Department is implementing the project to raise rural residents’ incomes and improve their social and economic lives, and that from 2023-2024 through 2025-2026, the project has been carried out in 96 villages across Shan State, training 1,144 trainees and producing 480 new business owners.

He explained that in the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the project will continue in 32 villages with a total budget of 448 million kyats — 14 million kyats per village, of which 5 million kyats will go to livelihood training and 9 million kyats to providing five new trainees with 1.8 million kyats worth of business equipment each.

Officials then handed out 251 pieces of business equipment across 20 categories to 50 trainees from 10 projects in Taunggyi and Kalaw districts.

Chief Minister U Sai Htein Zaw continued that the project’s main goal is to let trainees start their business right after training without struggling for start-up capital, and that recipients are selected based on interest, ability, willingness to work and commitment to village development.

Recipients of business equipment must start operating within three months, register as an MSME within six months, and continue operating for three consecutive years; failure to comply with these conditions means the equipment provided may be repossessed.

He said that if the projects succeed, they will raise rural incomes, expand employment opportunities, improve living standards, and support Shan State’s overall GDP growth.