Meghalaya

Chief Electoral Officer Dr BDR Tiwari on Tuesday said 85.53 per cent of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) hearings has been completed, while 999 notices are yet to be delivered. Sharing the status after holding an online review with District Election Officers, EROs, AEROs and other officials, Tiwari said, “Out of 21,69,243 electors included in the Draft Electoral Roll, 6,51,735 notices were generated. Of these, 6,50,736 notices have been delivered, leaving only 999 notices pending delivery. A total of 5,57,402 hearings have been conducted, representing 85.53% of the notices generated.” He added, “So far, 659 electors have been found ineligible for inclusion in the Final Electoral Roll after the prescribed process, while 17,97,168 electors from the Draft Electoral Roll are reporte...

Eight MLAs of Meghalaya’s United Democratic Party (UDP) formally joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at the party headquarters in New Delhi on Wednesday, significantly changing the composition of the state Assembly. The induction, announced by BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra, took place in the presence of Union Minister Kiren Rijiju and other senior BJP leaders. The eight legislators had been in discussions with the BJP leadership over several issues concerning Meghalaya, including the demand for inclusion of the Khasi language in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, changes to coal-mining restrictions, implementation of the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act and relocation of the Harijan Colony from Them Iew Mawlong in Shillong. Following the move, the BJP’s stren...

The Hynniewtrep Youth Council (HYC) on Tuesday blamed the BSF and Meghalaya Police for alleged lapses in checking infiltration from Bangladesh and urged the Union Home Ministry to take serious note of the issue. HYC president Roykupar Synrem questioned how 27 Bangladeshi nationals, who reportedly said they entered India through the Dawki sector, could travel through Meghalaya and reach Assam without being detected. Synrem also raised concerns over the possible role of brokers, transporters and other facilitators, and demanded a thorough investigation into how the group entered India and travelled to Assam. He said HYC members of the Shella Area Unit had also intercepted three individuals they identified as being from Bangladesh on Monday and handed them over to the BSF and Shella...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday inaugurated the SEWA Inland–DREAM Rehabilitation Centre at Ballongre-Gambagre in Tura, West Garo Hills, while officially launching state-wide Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for rehabilitation centers. The facility operates under the DREAM Mission—an initiative uniting police, health, social welfare, district administration, youth departments, and local communities in a multi-sectoral strategy to combat substance abuse across the state. Emphasizing that the new center will expand vital recovery, support, and care services for individuals struggling with addiction, Sangma stressed the necessity of keeping citizens and community leaders at the core of governance initiatives to foster a safer, healthier, and more supportive environment...

Heavy fines and imprisonment will be imposed on contractors who fail to register workers, as the government has enforced amended rules to regulate the entry and employment of migrants. Labour Minister Methodius Dkhar on Monday said the website and MIRSS portal for registering migrant workers have been open since September 9, and contractors will bear the brunt if workers are found without registration at any worksite. “The portal is now live and the amended rules have been notified. The Act is effective now. The process will be easier, but the rules will be more stringent to monitor migrant labour and ensure contractors comply with regulations for the maintenance of migrant labour,” Dkhar said. He said violators will face graded punishment. “The first offence will attract a Rs...

A Common Facility Centre (CFC) at Umsiang in Meghalaya’s Ri-Bhoi district, aimed at promoting banana fibre-based handicrafts and value-added products, is nearing completion under the PM-DevINE scheme. The facility is being developed to convert discarded banana pseudostems, often treated as agricultural waste, into useful products including banana fibre, liquid fertiliser, vermicompost and biodegradable paper. Preparatory and infrastructure work, including road improvements and other essential facilities, is still underway, and the centre has yet to be formally inaugurated and opened to the public. The project is being supported by the Ministry of Development of the North Eastern Region (MDoNER), with the North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR) involved in machinery...

The reported movement of 27 Bangladeshi nationals through Meghalaya after allegedly entering India via the Dawki sector has raised questions over border surveillance, with the Hynniewtrep Youths' Council (HYC) seeking a time-bound probe into how the group travelled through the state and reached Assam without being detected. The 27 nationals were detained by Assam authorities in Guwahati and Bongaigaon earlier this week. According to Assam Po- lice, preliminary questioning indicated that they had crossed into Meghalaya on foot through the Dawki sector before travelling towards Jorabat and subsequently entering Guwahati. Police said the group had allegedly been assisted by agents and that investigations were underway to identify those who facili- tated their entry and movement. The...

More than 2,000 members of the Garo community from different parts of the Khasi Hills gathered at Mallangkona in West Khasi Hills to protest against the requirement of making Khasi mandatory in District Selection Committee (DSC) recruitment examinations. The gathering was held at the Sildubi Mini Playground and was described by organisers as the first major public meeting on the issue. It was organised jointly by the Mallangkona Area Development Organisation (MADO), Mallangkona Area Council of Headmen, Mallangkona Women’s Federation, Mallangkona Youth Multi-Purpose Society, Achik Krima Mallangkona Regional Unit and Mallangkona Area VO and SHG. The participants welcomed the provision allowing both Khasi and Garo in DSC recruitment examinations but opposed the requirement that candida...

Meghalaya on Friday commemorated the 139th anniversary of the Unitarian movement across the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, with followers assembling for special prayer services and community programmes to honor their faith and cultural legacy. The annual Unitarian Day marks the establishment of the indigenous movement on September 18, 1887, when its founder, Hajom Kissor Singh, conducted the first Unitarian prayer service at his residence in Jowai. Extending his warmest greetings to the community on X, Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma highlighted the unique spiritual tradition deeply rooted in the Khasi region and wished followers a day filled with faith, peace, and reflection. As a significant annual occasion, Unitarian Anniversary Day allows devotees to remember the vital contributions of earlier ...

Former Tourism Minister and West Shillong MLA Paul Lyngdoh has said Meghalaya’s tourism sector is “sadly” showing signs of decline and has asked all stakeholders to weigh their words and actions more carefully in an age when social media can immediately damage the state’s image. Feedback he has been receiving, Lyngdoh said, indicated that tourism had slipped from the level it had reached during his tenure as Tourism Minister. He attributed that earlier growth not only to promotion but also to sustained engagement with different groups and organisations. During his term, he said, he had placed considerable emphasis on what he described as “diplomacy” — keeping dialogue open with NGOs and others over issues concerning the sector. Disagreements were inevitable, he maintained, but th...