Union Finance Minister Applauds Meghalaya’s Living Root Bridges, Calls for Global Heritage Status

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited Siej village in Meghalaya and praised the iconic living root bridges as symbols of sustainability and ecological wisdom. She lauded the villagers’ tradition of shaping rubber tree roots into natural bridges without harming the environment and supported their aspiration for UNESCO heritage status. Sitharaman called the bridges metaphors for sustainable living and aligned their efforts with PM Modi’s vision. Later, in Sohbar, near the India-Bangladesh border, she emphasized border village development under the Vibrant Villages Programme, focusing on road, telecom, television, and electricity improvements, with eastern regions now included in the programme’s second phase.