Meghalaya

C. H. Vijayashankar on Friday inaugurated a Mobile Food Processing Unit (MPU) designed to help small and marginal farmers in the Northeast process their farm produce at their doorstep. The facility was launched at Lok Bhavan in the presence of senior officials and representatives from scientific and government institutions.The innovative unit has been jointly developed by North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru. The initiative aims to strengthen food processing infrastructure in the Northeastern region and improve value addition for farmers.The Mobile Food Processing Unit acts as a “processing on wheels” facility, equipped with small-s...

University of Science and Technology Meghalaya (USTM) has announced that it will host the 8th edition of the North East Graduate Congress (NEGC) 2026 from March 26 to 28 at its campus in Baridua, near Shillong. The announcement was made during a press conference attended by key officials and faculty members, who shared details of the mega youth event expected to bring together thousands of undergraduate students from colleges and universities across Northeast India. Speaking at the press meet, officials highlighted that NEGC is recognised as one of the largest graduate gatherings in the region. The event will provide a vibrant platform for young minds to interact with eminent academicians, educationists, entrepreneurs and youth icons of national repute. The three-day congress aims to empo...

Meghalaya Police has registered a case against one of its personnel for keeping bullets at his rented accommodation within a mosque compound at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills district, officials said on Friday. According to SP SA Rynjah, a group of people informed police that they had found camouflage uniforms and four bullets inside the compound of Williamnagar mosque. He said that upon inquiry, it was learnt that a police personnel of the district executive force (DEF) had been residing in a rented accommodation within the mosque compound.

Curfew in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya has been extended until 6 am on Sunday, following a period of unrest. This curfew was enforced throughout the district, with a brief relaxation period from 9 am to 3 pm on Saturday to allow residents to obtain essential supplies, as stated by District Magistrate Vibhor Aggarwal. In contrast, the curfew in the East Garo Hills district remains in effect until further notice. The imposition of the curfew came after violent incidents, including the deaths of two individuals, which were linked to a controversial notification that prevents non-tribal candidates from contesting elections for the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) on March 9. In response to the violence, army personnel were deployed to the affected areas to restore o...

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 13 blamed alleged “Bangladeshi infiltration” for the recent unrest in parts of Meghalaya’s Garo Hills and said it would stand firmly with indigenous tribal communities in the region. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad claimed the tension surrounding the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) election stemmed from attempts by infiltrators to contest polls meant exclusively for local tribals. “The primary cause of this tension is the infiltration of Bangladeshis into the local tribal community, and their attempts to contest Garo Hills Autonomous District Council election,” Prasad said while addressing a press conference. Violence broke out earlier this week in Meghalaya’s West Garo Hills district after protests by sections of the Garo ...

Meghalata Police have arrested six people, including two from Haryana, in connection with a series of ATM thefts in East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya in which nearly Rs 1 crore was stolen from three locations over the past year, a senior officer said on Friday. The thefts took place at ATM booths in Mawkriah, Smit and Mylliem between May 2025 and February 2026, East Khasi Hills Superintendent of Police Vivek Syiem said. The first incident occurred on May 21, 2025, when miscreants broke into an ATM booth at Mawkriah and stole Rs 28.13 lakh. Another ATM at Smit was targeted on December 30, 2025, with Rs 35.57 lakh taken away, he said. Cases were registered at Mawngap and Madanrting police stations, following which an investigation was launched. A seven-member team from the Special C...

Authorities on March 13 partially relaxed curfew in two violence-affected districts of Meghalaya to allow residents to purchase essential commodities, officials said. In West Garo Hills district, the curfew was relaxed for four hours from 9 am to 1 pm, while in neighbouring East Garo Hills the relaxation was extended from 8 am to 5 pm following an order issued by Deputy Commissioner RP Marak. The restrictions were imposed earlier this week after clashes broke out between tribal and non-tribal groups during the nomination process for elections to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC). Two persons were killed in police firing during the unrest, while several properties were damaged in incidents of arson, vandalism and looting reported in parts of Tura. Following the viole...

The Meghalaya unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on March 12 asserted that no infiltrator should be allowed to contest elections anywhere in the country, including the polls to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC), stating that the institution was created to safeguard the rights of indigenous communities. State BJP president Rikman G Momin said the GHADC, constituted under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution of India, was meant to protect the land, rights and self-governance of indigenous tribes, and such safeguards must not be diluted. “Whether it is the tribal autonomous district council polls, the Assembly elections or the Parliamentary elections, no infiltrator should be permitted to enter any of these democratic processes anywhere in India,” Momin said in a statem...

The Meghalaya government on Thursday informed the high court that land required for expansion of the airport here was handed over to the Airports Authority of India last week. According to an Action Taken Report submitted before the Meghalaya High Court during a hearing on a PIL, the government handed over about 22 acres of land to the Transport Department on January 28, which subsequently transferred the land to the AAI on March 6. The report also stated that 10.30 acres of defence land required for the Shillong airport expansion were also handed over by the authorities concerned to the Transport Department on February 27, pursuant to a memorandum of understanding.

The Meghalaya government has assured citizens that there is no shortage of LPG in the state and that adequate supplies are available to meet the needs of the public. Addressing the media during a briefing, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs Minister Methodius Dkhar clarified that the current supply of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) remains stable across Meghalaya.The minister stated that the government is closely monitoring the distribution network and coordinating with LPG suppliers to ensure uninterrupted availability. He emphasized that rumours about a possible shortage have created unnecessary concern among residents. “People should not panic or rush to purchase additional cylinders,” Dkhar said, adding that the state has sufficient LPG stock to cater to the regular demand of...