Meghalaya

In a landmark moment for the State’s agricultural sector, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman, Hon’ble Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, on her two-day visit to Meghalaya, officially inaugurated the Organic Spice Industrial Unit (PRIME-HUB), North East’s largest Organic Spice Processing Plant today in Bhoirymbong. This state-of-the-art facility reflects the Government of Meghalaya's sustained leadership and strategic commitment to transforming the regional agricultural landscape and converting it to high-value enterprise. The inauguration of the facility aligns with the direct outcome of a long-term planning by the State which has established a sustainable ecosystem for its Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) and its overall economy. Envisioned under the leadership of Shri Conrad K...

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will visit Meghalaya on June 19 and 20 to inaugurate key infrastructure projects, interact with farmers, artisans and students, and participate in regional development discussions. A major highlight of the visit will be the inauguration of the Northeast’s largest organic spice processing plant at Bhoirymbong in Ri Bhoi district. Developed by the Eastern Ri Bhoi Organic Farmer Producer Company, the facility has an annual processing capacity of 10,346 metric tonnes and is expected to benefit around 5,500 organic farmers. The plant will process turmeric, black pepper and other spices, making it the largest organic spice processing hub in the region. The facility is aimed at strengthening value addition in Meghalaya’s organic agriculture sector ...

Meghalaya will launch a state-wide Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls from June 20, with booth-level officers (BLOs) set to conduct door-to-door verification across the state to update voter records. Chief Electoral Officer BDR Tiwari said the exercise would begin with a preparatory phase from June 20 to June 29, followed by house-to-house verification between June 30 and July 29. “The starting phase will be from June 20 to June 29. Thereafter, from June 30 to July 29, BLOs will conduct house visits,” Tiwari said. The revision aims to ensure electoral rolls remain accurate by enrolling newly eligible voters, removing the names of deceased or relocated electors, and correcting existing entries through field verification. According to the schedule, the draft ele...

Director General of Police Idashisha Nongrang on Thursday said the department has challenged a court order granting bail to Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the murder of her husband and Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi. “Sonam case we are challenging against the court order for giving her bail,” the DGP told reporters. Addressing questions on alleged procedural lapses by investigating officers, Nongrang said leeway must be given to IOs in complex cases involving multiple accused. “You also have to give a certain amount of leeway through all the IOs especially in this case it was not just one person, it was a number of people and this was in only one particular document because the transit remand was correct section… it was only one document where this particular sectio...

The Meghalaya Forest Department on Thursday raided four illegal sawmills operating in the Bajengdoba and Mendi areas of North Garo Hills following complaints lodged by several NGOs. The crackdown was launched after the department received complaints on June 11 from organisations including Matgrik Do’mesal, APA, ADE, FKJGP, AYWO and ASPF alleging the operation of illegal sawmills in the area. According to Chisaka Ch. Marak, Range Forest Officer in-charge of Darugre, Dainadubi and Kharkutta Ranges, the department verified the information and coordinated with representatives of the NGOs to ascertain the authenticity of the complaints before drawing up an enforcement plan. Acting on the findings, forest personnel from the Dainadubi, Kharkutta, Darugre and Simsanggre Ranges carried ou...

Meghalaya on Thursday unveiled an ambitious tourism master plan that proposes New Shillong as thestate’s flagship destination, with a Rs 450-crore monolith tower complex at the centre of efforts to attracthigh-value and international tourists. The Department of Tourism hosted a State-Level Consultative Workshop on ‘Developing Global StandardTourist Destinations’ at State Guest House, Taraghar. The workshop brought together officials, stakeholders and tourism operators to map the state’s shifttoward high-value, sustainable tourism. Tourism Minister Timothy D Shira said the plan marks a “pivotal shift” for Meghalaya’s tourismlandscape. He announced a dedicated Destination Management Organisation to oversee quality, inter-departmentalcoordination and single-point accountability. ...

The Meghalaya High Court on Wednesday expressed concern over delays by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in clearing safety assessment documents for the Shillong Airport runway expansion project, warning that it could lead to cost escalation borne by taxpayers. Hearing a PIL on the matter, the division bench of Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W Diengdoh noted that environmental clearance for the proposed runway expansion was received from the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change on March 28, 2026. Work order for expansion of the runway, terminal building, apron and allied works was awarded to M/s KCC Buildcon Pvt Ltd on April 1, 2026, with 18 months allotted for completion, including 3 months for rains. The timeline is reckoned from 10 days af...

Deputy Chief Minister in-charge Home Prestone Tynsong has appealed to protesters on hunger strike in East Jaintia Hills over coal mining to end the fast and meet the government, saying the state has asked stakeholders to “wait for three months” while it pursues relaxation from the Centre. “In fact, the government, through the Chief Minister, has already promised all stakeholders, ‘Please wait for three months’. The government will effectively try to follow up with the Government of India and also to get some kind of relaxation from the present form of the Act,” Tynsong said. Addressing the hunger strike directly, he said, “So, therefore, I would request the person who is still on hunger strike to, instead of hunger strike, meet the government, meet the Chief Minister and get the cla...

The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council has 85 cases pending before the Meghalaya High Court, the Executive Member in-charge of Legal Affairs told the House on Wednesday. Responding to a query by NPP MDC from Nongshken Grace Kharpuri during the first day of KHADC’s summer session, EM Deity H Majaw said the litigations span from 2022 to 2026. According to her, 6 cases were filed in 2022, 1 in 2023, 4 in 2024, 58 in 2025, and 16 so far in 2026. The pending matters include service, trade and Elaka-related disputes. Majaw added that 30 cases from 2023 have been disposed of. The EM also informed the council that KHADC’s legal team currently comprises one Special Counsel, three Standing Counsel, one Legal Assistant and one Lawyer to handle the cases.

Meghalaya will undertake a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in 2026 as part of efforts to ensure an accurate and updated voter database across the state. Chief Electoral Officer of Meghalaya, B.D.R. Tiwari, announced that the exercise will begin with the training of election officials from June 20 to June 29. This will be followed by a house-to-house verification drive by Booth Level Officers (BLOs) from June 30 to July 29. "The training phase is starting from June 20 to June 29. From June 30 till July 29, there will be house-to-house visits by the Booth Level Officers," Tiwari said. According to the schedule, the draft electoral roll will be published on August 5, 2026. Citizens will then be able to file claims and objections from August 5 to September 4. The ...