Meghalaya

The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Wednesday asked the state government to close the chapter on introducing railways in the state. “Our stand is very clear. The state and central governments should close the chapter on railways. Implement the inner-line permit (ILP) first and then we will discuss,” KSU president Lambokstar Marngar said. After the Centre issued a “have it or leave it” ultimatum to the state government, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met the Minister for Railways and warned that Meghalaya would lose Rs 200 crore given for land acquisition if the railway projects could not be implemented. “Without ILP, without any mechanism (to check infiltration), we won’t talk about railways. Not even goods train. We need a mechanism, not railway tracks. Let the government of India impl...

Assam Rifles on Wednesday said it will cooperate with the police investigation into the death of an elderly milkman under the wheels of a vehicle of the force in Meghalaya's Ri-Bhoi district a day ago. District Superintendent of Police Vivek Singh said the vehicle concerned was seized and a case has been registered in this connection. The 93-year-old milkman, Jonga Bahadur, was crossing the road at Nongpoh town when he was run over by a vehicle of an Assam Rifles convoy on Tuesday.The victim was taken by the personnel in the convoy to Nongpoh Civil Hospital and then to the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences where he succumbed to his injuries.

A mobile application aimed at transforming domestic worker employment was launched on Tuesday at North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU). The app, named “Maidful,” operates in both Khasi and English, providing a platform to connect domestic workers and employers while addressing concerns over job security and fair wages. Developed collaboratively by NEHU’s Department of Nanotechnology and IIT Bhilai under an IBITF-funded project, the app emphasizes transparency through profile verification for both employers and workers. This initiative is expected to improve safety and streamline the hiring process. “Maidful is a beacon of hope, dignity, and empowerment,” said Shri Longshai Nongkhlaw, Rangbah Shnong of Mawkynroh, during the launch. Principal Investigator Davidson Pyngrope highlighted tha...

The ongoing land acquisition for the highway widening project in East Garo Hills has led to increasing confusion and anxiety among landowners, as concerns over fair compensation and transparency continue to mount. Initially, many villagers refused to sign the consent forms, citing dissatisfaction with the compensation offered. However, some have now visited the revenue office in Williamnagar to sign the documents amid rumors that the government may proceed with the acquisition without providing compensation if they do not comply. A commercial property S N Sangma, who operates the only a grocery store that serves as her livelihood, was privately shown an offer of approximately Rs. 8 lakh at the revenue office. However, she was not given any written confirmation or offer letter, nor was she...

On Tuesday's Shark Tank India episode, Namita Thapar, Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, declared, "There is nothing that women cannot do in this country." This came after she gave Iaishah Rymbai of Ri-Bhoi, Meghalaya, a cheque for Rs 20 lakh as opposed to 12% equity, and her daughter, Eri Weave, to introduce her business. BIaishah, a school teacher and handloom weaver, founded Eri Weave in 2019. The idea took root in 2018 when a scarf order was delayed because of yarn scarcity. This challenge led her to explore local spinning and weaving techniques. Her efforts were later recognized at the National Handloom Day 2022 at Umden Diwon Eri Silk Village. Today, Eri Weave supports around 100 women and has impacted several families in the community. Eri Weave produces Eri Silk, ...

A 69-year-old milkman lost his life after being hit by an escort vehicle of the Assam Rifles convoy near the Deputy Commissioner’s junction on National Highway 6 in Nongpoh on Tuesday morning. According to police reports, the accident occurred at around 10:20 am when an Assam Rifles convoy was travelling from Shillong to Guwahati. The victim, identified as Jonga Bahadur Sunar from Shangbangla village, suddenly attempted to cross the road after two convoy vehicles had passed. He was struck by the third vehicle, a Mahindra Thar (ML05 Y 3232), driven by Sreekanth SS from the DGR Secretariat in Laitkor, East Khasi Hills.  Following the collision, the victim was immediately taken to Nongpoh Civil Hospital for emergency treatment. Due to the seriousness of his injuries, Sunar was later ...

A warehouse located in Joavon Towers at Umsohsun was destroyed in a fire incident on Monday morning. The warehouse was owned by one Anuj Bawri. Fire tenders rushed to the spot to extinguish the fire, but all electronic and computer goods, valued around Rs 70 lakh, were completely gutted. Police suspected that the fire might have been triggered by an electrical short-circuit.

Over 64,000 students are set to appear the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examinations from Monday. The exams will be conducted across 164 centres, with 93 centres located in the Shillong region (Khasi-Jaintia Hills) and 71 centres in the Tura region (Garo Hills). Among the candidates, 37,861 are females while 26,526 are males. The students have been categorised as follows: 29,973 under Regular-I, 16,028 under Regular-II, 1,455 as private candidates, 1,884 as non-regular, 21 appearing for improvement, and 15,026 for the compartmental category. A total of 1,896 schools and institutions are participating in the examinations, including 698 affiliated and 1,198 unaffiliated schools. The number of students appearing for the SSLC exams has risen compared to last year, when 55...