Meghalaya

The Meghalaya government had missed deadline to submit the nomination dossier to secure UNESCO World Heritage status for the iconic Living Root Bridges, locally known as Jingkieng Jri. Chief of the Culture Unit at UNESCO’s New Delhi South Asia Regional Office, Junhi Han explained that the nomination process is rigorous, typically taking around 18 months. Han, who was here to attend a one-day workshop on preparation of the World Heritage nomina tion dossier, said the deadline for submitting the nomination dossier to the World Heritage Centre in Paris is the beginning of February every year. “Since the 2025 deadline has already passed, the Meghalaya government will have to target February 2026 for its submission,” the UNESCO representative said while adding that if the dossier is deemed ...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma officially opened two dormitories for ladies in the North Garo Hills district. At Mendipathar College, a Rs 3 crore girls' hostel built in accordance with Article 275 was opened. It will be run by the Awe Self Help Group (SHG) and function as a non-profit organization. An additional Rs 2.5 crore Tribal Girls' Hostel in Resubelpara was also opened. The Ramke Memorial School will oversee it. According to the chief minister, the hostels will help females from far-flung places finish their education while offering a respectable, safe, and secure living environment. During an event in Mendipathar earlier in the day, he also introduced two significant initiatives to speed up the state's #ClimateAction and #ClimateAdaptation activities. It is anticipa...

Umiam Lake is abuzz with activity as the 3rd North East Regatta set sail today, drawing 79 top sailors from nine prestigious clubs across India. The six-day event, held from May 25 to 29, is one of the country’s premier sailing competitions and places Meghalaya firmly on the national sailing map. Organised by the Umiam Sailing Club in partnership with the Yachting Association of India and backed by the Meghalaya Tourism Department, the regatta features races across five boat classes—Optimist, ILCA 4, ILCA 6, 420, and 29er. The inclusion of double-handed boats like the 420 and 29er signals a leap in the region’s competitive standards. The event places strong focus on youth participation and teamwork, aiming to nurture local talent while promoting water sports culture in the Northeast...

Prominent RTI activist and lawyer Napoleon Mawphniang has raised serious concerns over the lack of transparency in Meghalaya's flagship Lakadong Turmeric Project. In a formal complaint to top authorities, Mawphniang accused the Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) of obstructing access to crucial documents under the RTI Act. “The responses I received were either non-existent or evasive. There were excessive delays and vague denials citing ‘administrative burden,’” Mawphniang said, calling the situation a “systematic pattern of opacity.” The Lakadong Turmeric Project, aimed at promoting high-curcumin turmeric cultivation, has received significant attention for its potential to boost farmers’ income. However, Mawphniang alleges that the MBDA has failed to provide verifiable data ...

Opposition leader Mukul Sangma has lamented the state government’s lack of interest in resolving the ongoing crisis at the North Eastern Hill University. “There is no visible endeavour to resolve the NEHU problem even though it is having a bearing on the higher education environment,” he told reporters on Friday. Pointing out that it is the government’s responsibility to resolve the crisis going on for months, he said the state and central governments must find a way out of the mess that has earned the university a bad name. The state government has maintained that it has a limited scope to intervene and resolve the crisis since the NEHU is a central university. Amid the crisis, two senior officials from the Ministry of Education visited the university’s Shillong campus. Additional Sec...

In a major step towards global employment for local healthcare workers, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday launched a specialised German language training programme for 20 nurses from the state. The programme is part of a broader overseas placement initiative designed to help Meghalaya’s nurses secure jobs in Germany’s healthcare sector, which is facing acute staff shortages.“This is more than just learning a new language — it is a gateway to global careers,” said Sangma, stressing the long-term benefits for both individuals and the state economy. Germany, like Japan where Meghalaya has earlier sent nurses, has been actively hiring international medical staff to meet rising demands in hospitals and care homes. The initiative builds on the success of previous internati...

After almost 18 years of darkness, power is now finally flowing through the lines of Pahamjula hamlet in Jirang constituency. The residents of the isolated town had to survive for eighteen years without electricity after their transformer failed in 2007. In order to address the long-standing problem, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and local MLA Sostheness Sohtun visited the area on May 22. Now that the transformer has been fixed, homes that had been dependent on other sources of electricity for almost 18 years can now have power again. The CM's visit revealed "the joy this has brought to them" as he personally observed the community's relief at getting their power back. Once the problem was officially brought to the state government's attention, the village's remote location...

In a significant move to address ongoing administrative turmoil, the Union Ministry of Education has dispatched a high-level team to North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, to conduct an urgent review of its operations. Additional Secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal and Director Subrat Kumar Pradhan from the Department of Higher Education will lead the review, according to a letter from Under Secretary D.K. Himanshu. Coordination has been made with Meghalaya Chief Secretary D.P. Wahlang and DGP Idashisha Nongrang for necessary security and protocol arrangements. The review comes as NEHU grapples with prolonged internal disputes and operational paralysis that have raised serious concerns at the central level. Amid the crisis, NEHU's Academic Council met on May 21 for the first time in...

After Iewduh, pressure groups have now turned their attention to Ri-Bhoi where they are carrying out daylight extortion in the name of donation. A host of groups, including some known names and some questionable organisations, have been running an extortion racket in various parts of Ri-Bhoi seeking donations either in cash or supply of fuel for their vehicles. Several sets of donation/extortion slips were forwarded to media outlets bearing the names of groups like Ri-Bhoi Youth Welfare Organisation, Ri Khasi People Youth Foundation, Hynniewtrep National Youth Council, Hynniewtrep People’s Federation, Hynniewtrep People Council, Hynniewtrep United Movement, Hynniewtrep United National Federation, Ri Khasi Movement, and Corporation of Khasi People with acknowledgement of receipt of cash...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, on May 21, inaugurated the 1.130 km Hubert Rosario Road leading to the Hubert Acupressure Centre Spein, Mookaswan in West Jaintia Hills District. The event also marked the inauguration of the Alternative Health Festival. Taking to his official X handle, CM Sangma informed that the road is named in honour of Archbishop Hubert D'Rosario, who dedicated his life to leading the faithful closer to God.