Meghalaya

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has called for a coordinated effort with Assam to address the escalating air pollution crisis in Byrnihat, which has been ranked as India’s most polluted town for the second consecutive year.Speaking in the Assembly, Sangma highlighted the need for urgent intervention, emphasizing that Byrnihat’s location on the Meghalaya-Assam border requires both states to take responsibility. He assured that he would formally communicate with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to devise a joint strategy to mitigate pollution levels in the region. His remarks came in response to a Call Attention Motion raised by Jirang MLA Sosthenes Sohtun, who cited data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) indicating that Byrnihat continues to record "very p...

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday presented what he termed as the people’s budget for 2025-26 with a fiscal deficit of Rs 1,970 crore, which is around 2.96% of the GSDP. The estimated total receipts is at Rs 30,415 crore, of which the revenue receipts are estimated at Rs 25,591 crore and capital receipts at Rs 4,824 crore. Excluding borrowings of Rs 4,788 crore, the total receipts are estimated to be Rs 25,627 crore. On the expenditure side, the total expenditure is estimated at Rs 30,003 crore, of which the revenue expenditure is estimated at Rs 20,556 crore and capital expenditure at Rs 9,447 crore. Excluding repayment of loans of Rs 2,406 crore, the estimated total expenditure is Rs 27,597 crore. The interest payments for 2025-26 are estimated at Rs 1,347 crore and pens...

The HYC on Wednesday asked the KHADC to come up with provisions specifying that trading licences will be issued only to genuine non-tribals who are permanent residents of the state. In their four-points memorandum submitted to KHADC CEM Shemborlang Rynjah, HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said the council should ensure that the provisions laid down under the KHAD (Trading By Non-Tribals) Regulation, 1954 should be strictly implemented. According to him, the council should formulate the rules for implementation of this important regulation. He said that the new Executive Committee under his leadership should ensure all the future appointments in the council should be as per provisions specified in the Service Rules of 1961. “We urge people who are at the helms of affairs not to be involve...

The Meghalaya government continues to face challenges in stabilizing the prices of essential commodities, despite efforts to curb inflation and regulate the market. During the Budget Session of the Legislative Assembly, Food Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Comingone Ymbon acknowledged the ongoing difficulties in price control while responding to questions from MLA Heavingstone Kharpran. He emphasized that while the government monitors price fluctuations, external factors such as supply chain disruptions and seasonal variations in agricultural output contribute to market instability. "The market price of agricultural produce tends to fall after the harvest season due to an influx of fresh crops," Ymbon explained, highlighting the natural price adjustments in the market...

In what can be termed as good news, citizens of the state will not be subjected to any scheduled load-shedding this year despite the poor financial condition of the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL). Announcing this on Tuesday, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the fiscal condition of the Corporation has been improving since the government has been sanctioning Rs 900 crore every year for the MeECL. “We could have used this money for building schools and improving healthcare but the money is being used to make MeECL better,” he stated. The Corporation’s scheduled losses have reduced and even the Aggregate Technical & Commercial (AT&C) losses have come down to 18%, Sangma said, adding that efforts are on to make the organisation more profitable and professional. A...

ICFAI University, Tura, has reaffirmed its commitment to preserving Garo traditional games by incorporating them into Varsity Week 2025, which commenced on March 3 and will run until March 7 at the university campus. The event features a mix of literary, cultural, and fine arts competitions, but the spotlight remains on the indigenous Garo games—Wa’pong Sika and An.ding Oka. These traditional sports have drawn enthusiastic participation from students eager to reconnect with their cultural heritage. Wa’pong Sika, similar to tug-of-war, uses a stout bamboo pole instead of a rope, with teams pushing against each other to cross a marked boundary. Historically, it was played by young men from the Nokpantes (Bachelors’ Dormitories) of the Garo tribe. Meanwhile, An.ding Oka involves a test of...

The controversial Meghalaya State Investment Promotion and Facilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was introduced in the Assembly on Monday. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma introduced it in the House. He also tabled the Meghalaya Right to Public Services (Amendment) Rules, 2024. The content of the MSIPF (Amendment) bill states that this may be called the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion and Facilitation (Amendment) Act, 2025 and it shall come into force on the date of its publication in the official gazette . The amendment of section 2 states that the existing sub-section (vi) to sub-section (xix) of section 2 shall be renumbered as sub-section (vii) to sub-section (xx) and a new section (vi) shall be added, as (vi) “Autonomous District Councils” means Khasi Hills Autonomous Distr...