Meghalaya

The Closing Ceremony of the joint military exercise between Indian and Royal Thai Army, 'Exercise MAITREE-XIV'  was held at Foreign Training Node,Umroi Cantt on 14 Sep 2025. The aim of the exercise was to achieve inter-operability and to acquaint each other with operational procedures and combat drills. It was evident from what was witnessed that both the armies were able to achieve this aim. The exercise was conducted under the United Nations (UN) mandate. Both the contingents jointly participated in all the tactical drills as well as operational discussions. The exercise culminated with a 48 hour validation exercise which included creation of Temporary Operating Base (TOB), establishing an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) grid, isolation of village, Heliborne ...

The Meghalaya government has declared a three-day State Mourning from September 13-15 following the demise of former Chief Minister Donwa Dethwelson Lapang, popularly known as Dr D.D. Lapang or "Maheh." During the mourning period, the National Flag will be flown at half-mast at all government establishments across the state, and no official entertainment will be held, officials confirmed on Saturday. Commissioner and Secretary, Vijay Kumar Mantri, informed that a state funeral will be held at Student's Field, Jaiaw, on Monday at 1 p.m. Lapang will later be laid to rest at the Jaiaw Presbyterian Church cemetery at Weiking, Jaiaw. The veteran leader passed away on Friday night at Bethany Hospital, Shillong, after a prolonged battle with age-related ailments. He was 96. Lapang is survi...

Former Chief Minister Donwa Dethwelson Lapang, popularly known as Dr DD Lapang, passed away on Friday night at Bethany Hospital, Shillong. He was 93. Family sources said Lapang had been battling age-related ailments for a prolonged period. He is survived by his wife, Amethyst Lynda Jomes Blah, and two children. Born on April 10, 1932, Lapang began his political journey by contesting the 1972 Assembly elections from Nongpoh as an independent candidate, where he was elected MLA. Over the years, he went on to serve as Chief Minister of Meghalaya on four occasions. His first stint as Chief Minister was from 1992 to February 1993. He returned to the post on March 4, 2003, but stepped down on June 15, 2006, following dissidence within the coalition government. Lapang was again sworn in as Ch...

Meghalaya has received an allocation of ₹405.64 crore for the year 2024–25 under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Public Health Engineering Minister Marcuise N. Marak informed the state Assembly on Thursday. The funds, sanctioned by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, are expected to accelerate ongoing projects to provide functional household tap connections across the state. However, Marak noted that the release of funds for 2025–26 is still pending, creating uncertainty for future projects. The minister also drew attention to the pending bills under JJM, which stand at ₹695.01 crore as of August 31, 2025. These bills, owed to contractors working on water supply projects, are yet to be cleared by the Centre. The delay has raised concerns about the pace o...

Meghalaya has been allocated Rs 405.64 crore for 2024-25 under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), Public Health Engineering Minister Marcuise N Marak told the state Assembly on September 11. The funds were sanctioned by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, he added, but the release for 2025-26 is still pending. Marak also highlighted that pending bills for contractors under JJM, amounting to Rs 695.01 crore as of August 31, 2025, have yet to be received from the Centre. However, as far as water tap connections are concerned Shillong areas have not seen any progress, with work still pending and stuck. Pasing through Nongmynsong and other areas, JJM pipeline can be seen installed, However, without any water for the public. While other states in Ondia hav...

Sonam Raghuvanshi, the prime accused in the sensational murder of Indore businessman Raja Raghuvanshi, is likely to file a bail application before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Sohra Sub-Division, on Friday. A source on Thursday said Sonam's lawyers will seek bail on the grounds that the charge sheet filed by the Meghalaya Police is incomplete. "The bail petition will be filed due to the flawed charge sheet," the source added. Last week, the East Khasi Hills police had submitted a detailed charge sheet in the case. The report, running into 790 pages, names five principal accused and exposes what investigators described as a chilling conspiracy. The chargesheet formally indicted Raja's wife, Sonam, her alleged lover Raj Kushwaha, and three hired assailants - Vishal Singh Chauh...

The Meghalaya cabinet on Thursday approved amendments to the state’s excise rules, a move expected to generate an additional Rs 90 crore in revenue, officials said. The cabinet also accepted the independent inquiry committee report on Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited and gave its nod for the financial closure of major central power schemes. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the amendments were aimed at making the state more competitive with neighbouring states. “We want our rates and pricing to reflect market realities. This will make us more attractive to consumers and increase our revenue,” he told reporters after the meeting. On the power sector, the cabinet formally accepted the independent inquiry committee report on Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL). The review c...

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday assured that the upcoming electoral roll revision will be conducted in a balanced manner, ensuring genuine citizens are not harassed while preventing non-citizens from being included in the state’s voter list. Replying to a cut motion in the Assembly, Sangma explained that the Summary Intensive Revision (SIR) is aimed at correcting errors, removing duplicate entries, and verifying questionable records. The process will include house-to-house enumeration, requiring each elector to submit an enumeration form. The Chief Minister clarified that voters already registered as of January 1, 2003, will not need to submit fresh documents, a measure approved by the Election Commission of India to ease the burden on elderly citizens. San...

Meghalaya is facing a staggering government job deficit of nearly 67,500 positions, a concern flagged by Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma in the state assembly on Tuesday. With almost 70,000 young people entering the job market every year, the state government finds itself in a tight corner, able to accommodate only around 2,000 to 2,500 candidates in government departments. Highlighting the challenge, the Chief Minister said that nearly 7,000 vacancies across various departments are already in the recruitment pipeline, but these numbers remain a fraction of the demand. “There is a deficit of around 67,500 jobs in the government sector, which is why the government is coming up with a holistic plan to cater to the 70,000 youth eligible to join the workforce,” Sangma explained. To brid...

Meghalaya Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh on Wednesday announced that construction of a proposed five-star hotel at Umiam will begin within this year. The project, estimated at over Rs 150 crore, is expected to be completed in three years and aims to cater to high-end tourists visiting the state. The government has resolved land ownership issues with a private party concerning an island in Umiam Lake, where the hotel will be situated. Tenders and other formalities are currently being processed.  Lyngdoh emphasised the government's focus on developing luxury accommodations to boost tourism in Meghalaya.