Meghalaya

The Election Commission (EC) extended the schedule for the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh, fixing October 26 and October 16, respectively, for the publication of the final voter lists. Earlier, the date for the publication of the final voter list was October 21 for Meghalaya. The decision was taken at a meeting attended by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi at the Nirvachan Sadan on Wednesday, the poll panel said in a statement. For Meghalaya, the commission announced October 26 as the date for final publication. The statement did not specify a revised deadline for disposal of claims and objections or give reasons for extending the schedule. The...

The Meghalaya government has made it mandatory for migrant workers employed in the state to register under the Meghalaya Identification, Registration (Safety & Security) of Migrant Workers (MIRSS) Act and Rules, 2020. According to a press release issued by Labour Commissioner Banteilang Kharsahngi, every migrant worker must register and obtain a separate Registration Card. Employers and contractors engaging migrant workers have been directed to ensure that the workers complete the registration process. Failure to do so can invite penalties under the Act. Applications for registration must be submitted online to the concerned Registering Officer in the area where the migrant worker is employed. The registration fee is Rs 50. Applications can be made through the Labour Commissione...

The Meghalaya government, police and Border Security Force (BSF) have stepped up vigilance along the international border with Bangladesh following concerns over attempted infiltration across vulnerable stretches. A high-level meeting was held to review the security situation and assess measures required to strengthen surveillance and ground-level monitoring along the state’s border areas. Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said security agencies were detecting attempted crossings “almost every day”, highlighting the need for sustained vigilance along sensitive portions of the border. He directed the police, district administration and BSF to intensify surveillance and strengthen security arrangements, particularly in areas considered vulnerable to unauthorised crossings. Tynsong iden...

Meghalaya Together celebrated its third foundation year with a Unity Feast themed **‘Breaking Bread, Building Bridges’ in the presence of Meghalaya Governor C.H. Vijayashankar, bringing together members of nine different communities to celebrate cultural diversity and unity. Speaking on the occasion, Vegonia Nongpluh, General Secretary of Meghalaya Together, said the organisation was founded on August 26, 2023, and the celebration was aimed at creating greater understanding and connection among different communities. The event saw participation from communities including the Marwari and Jaintia communities, among others, with participants sharing traditional dishes and cultural practices. “Today’s celebration is not only about presenting our own traditions, but we are here openin...

Meghalaya Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong chaired a security review meeting with the state police and Border Security Force (BSF) and directed the security agencies to intensify ground-level vigilance along the Meghalaya-Bangladesh border amid growing concerns over infiltration. Stating that infiltration was being detected almost every day, Tynsong stressed the need for the BSF and the police to increase their presence and activities on the ground to prevent illegal influx. He said the discussions at the meeting focused on infiltration, challenges posed by Meghalaya’s terrain, inadequate border infrastructure, and reports that local people were allegedly facilitating such crossings. Tynsong said many of those intercepted were ordinary Bangladeshi citizens seeking to leave ...

Senior BJP leader and Meghalaya Cabinet Minister Sanbor Shullai on Tuesday accused the Congress and its I.N.D.I. alliance partners of spreading what he described as "lies" and creating panic over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, asserting that the exercise was necessary to ensure that ineligible persons, including illegal immigrants, do not find their way into the voters' list. Reacting to the Election Commission's recent joint press note following a meeting of the full Commission, Shullai said the statement had "conclusively proved" that allegations of differences among the Election Commissioners were misleading. "The people of Meghalaya can see that all three Election Commissioners acted with complete, recorded consensus on every major decision," Shullai sa...

The Jaintia National Council (JNC) on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Meghalaya Government's Fact-Finding Committee, calling for an independent and document-based inquiry into the proposed Shree Cement project at Lum Syrman in East Jaintia Hills. In its representation, addressed to the committee's Chairperson through the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, the JNC raised concerns over land ownership and transfer, the link between the 652.24-hectare Non-Forest Land Certificate (NFLC) area and the 217.394-hectare mining lease, and the events that led to the disruption of the public hearing on July 31, 2026. The organisation urged the committee to examine original land deeds, sale records, survey documents and other official records instead of relying exclu...

The Centre has sanctioned Rs 94.03 crore to the Meghalaya government as the Central share under the Post-Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Tribes scheme for the financial year 2026-27. According to a sanction order issued by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs on September 15, an amount of Rs 94,03,38,000 has been approved as a drawing limit in the form of a Mother Sanction for Meghalaya under the centrally sponsored scheme. The funds have been sanctioned under the scheme component “Post Matric Scholarship for Scheduled Tribes” (SLS Code: ML117) and will be debited to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs' budget under Demand No. 100. The sanction order said the release has been made in accordance with the pattern of assistance approved by the Ministry of Finance and the rules and principles ...

More than 150 young chess players from different schools across Meghalaya participated in the Under-19 Boys and Girls State-Level School Chess Competition held in Shillong today. The competition, organised by the Meghalaya Chess Association, aims to identify promising young chess talent in the state. **Five boys and five girls will be selected from the competition to represent Meghalaya at the national-level tournament in Delhi under the All India Chess Federation. Speaking at the programme, Meghalaya Chess Association president K.M. Warjri said the growing participation of young players was encouraging. He stressed the need for more tournaments and coaching opportunities to help youngsters improve their skills and gain competitive experience. MLA Adelbert Nongrum, who attended t...

A bird that had not been recorded in the Garo Hills for 75 years has been sighted again in Meghalaya’s Balpakram National Park, offering a rare glimpse of one of the region’s most elusive nocturnal birds. The finding was reported by Daniel Miranda and Tribhuwan Singh of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, in a note published in Indian BIRDS. The Hodgson’s Frogmouth (Batrachostomus hodgsoni) was spotted by Miranda and Singh while birdwatching and trekking through Balpakram National Park in South Garo Hills on January 30, 2025. The bird has been infrequently spotted in Khasi Hills. The encounter began with a commotion in a dense bamboo thicket. Small birds were screeching and mobbing something hidden in the undergrowth when a medium-sized bird suddenly flew out and perched h...