Meghalaya

The Meghalaya assembly session scheduled for today, February 20, including the state budget presentation, may be adjourned as a tribute to Shillong MP Ricky A J Syngkon, who died suddenly on Thursday evening. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced the likely suspension after discussions with Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, who handles parliamentary affairs. A meeting of the Business Advisory Committee, chaired by the assembly speaker, is set for tomorrow to finalise the decision. Syngkon collapsed while playing futsal on the outskirts of Shillong. Doctors at a private hospital declared him dead at around 8:45 pm. "We have discussed with Deputy Chief Minister and in-charge of Parliamentary Affairs, Prestone Tynsong," Sangma said. He added that postponing proceedings, even the ...

In a series of developments at the state legislature on Thursday, the Government of Meghalaya announced plans to revisit and amend the Meghalaya Residents Safety and Security Act, 2016, with the aim of strengthening legal provisions to tackle illegal immigration while ensuring the statute can withstand judicial scrutiny. Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma informed the Assembly that the government intends to work closely with the central government and Parliament to revise the act in a manner that reflects both security concerns and constitutional standards, as lawmakers debated concerns about cross-border movement and enforcement mechanisms. The announcement came amid broader debates in the Assembly about immigration policy and legal mechanisms to monitor and regulate entry into the state...

Meghalaya’s iconic Double Decker Living Root Bridge has earned global recognition, securing the second position on Time Out’s prestigious list of the 19 most beautiful bridges in the world. The natural marvel stands just behind Stari Most, the historic stone bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina.Published by global travel and culture magazine Time Out, the ranking celebrates bridges that blend beauty, history, innovation, and cultural significance. Meghalaya’s living root bridge was praised as a stunning example of sustainable indigenous engineering and harmony with nature.Located in the remote village of Nongriat near Sohra (Cherrapunji), the bridge—also known as the Umshiang Double Decker Living Root Bridge—is crafted from the aerial roots of Ficus elastica, or rubber fig trees. Over generat...

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday defended the Ride Shillong electric-bike initiative after opposition VPP legislator Adelbert Nongrum likened it to “building a bridge with no river” and demanded accountability. “The objective of urban affairs and of government as a whole is to find ways to address traffic and sustainability, where we encourage sustainable transportation,” Sangma told the Assembly. “The thought process going on (in the mind of the member) is what restricts us from innovating. As a government and society we need to try, innovate, and find ways.” He stressed that no state funds were used. “I made it clear in this reply that none of the government’s money was spent; this was a grant made by a German agency because we want cycling and walking promoted. When that h...

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Wednesday assured that the proposal to carve out the Shillong Agglomerate from East Khasi Hills as a full-fledged district will be examined against eight administrative benchmarks as part of broader efforts to streamline urban governance. Replying to a short-duration discussion moved by UDP legislator Paul Lyngdoh, Sangma said, "for declaring an area as a district or sub-division, the following criteria are taken into consideration: extent of area, population, distance from the existing headquarters, lack of education and health services, general economic backwardness, public convenience, communication, and availability of funds." He said any such proposal must first be placed before a committee headed by the Chief Secretary, with members drawn from th...

Vishnu Bhardwaj Upadhyay secured 98.96 percentile in the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) Mains 2026 Session 1, emerging as the topper from the state of Meghalaya. The JEE (Main) 2026 Session 1 Paper 1 (BE/BTech) examination was conducted between January 21 and January 28 across 658 centres, including 15 cities outside India. Vishnu scored 99.84 percentile in Chemistry, 97.88 in Physics, and 92.24 in Mathematics. Vishnu, who prepared through the digital ecosystem of PhysicsWallah (PW), credited his success to the accessibility and structured approach of the Prayas JEE 2.0 2026 Batch. Talking about the results and his vision ahead, Vishnu said, "Preparing for JEE has been a long and disciplined journey for me. Coming from Meghalaya, having access to the right guidance made a significant...

The Reservation Policy Expert Committee has declined to recommend the inclusion of Muslim communities under the “Other Backward Communities” (OBC) category, despite a formal proposal from the Religious Minority Committee seeking such a move. According to the Expert Committee findings, the Religious Minority Committee had urged that Muslim communities be recognised as OBCs on the grounds of socio-economic backwardness in Meghalaya and be accommodated within the existing 15 per cent allocation for the General Category. However, the Expert Committee cited constitutional safeguards in rejecting the proposal. It referred to Article 15, which prohibits discrimination on the grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth and Article 14, which guarantees equality before the law. The p...

An expert committee on reservation policy for tribals in Meghalaya has called for the introduction of the creamy layer principle to ensure that its benefits reach the most disadvantaged sections within the reserved categories of people across the state. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma formally tabled the report which also called for strict implementation of the reservation roster system, besides recommending that the state retain the existing 1972 policy. "The committee has recommended that the state government examine the introduction of the creamy layer principle, where constitutionally applicable, to ensure that the benefits of reservation reach the most disadvantaged sections within reserved categories," a gist of the voluminous report stated. According to a gist of the report, the ...

Charles Pyngrope, the Opposition TMC chief and MLA from Nongthymmai, expressed serious concerns about substance abuse among youths in Meghalaya, asserting that it could significantly hinder the state's economic growth. During a debate on the Governor’s Address, he characterized the drug crisis in both urban and rural settings as a grave threat to the demographic dividend that the state could potentially harness. Pyngrope emphasized the need for establishing well-equipped de-addiction centres throughout all districts and subdivisions to facilitate accessible rehabilitation for affected youths. He raised critical questions regarding whether Meghalaya's increasing GDP is genuinely reflecting improvements in the quality of life for its residents. Pyngrope referenced a study by the Megh...

The Expert Committee on Reservation Policy recommended maintaining the 1972 Reservation Policy in its report to the Meghalaya Assembly. After extensive consultations, the committee emphasized constitutional fidelity and the views of stakeholders rather than yielding to populism. Most stakeholders, including tribal bodies and civil society groups, supported continuing the existing framework without significant changes. The committee stressed that reservations for government jobs should not solely depend on population numbers of tribes or communities but must consider social and educational backwardness, historical injustices, and under-representation. The report firmly stated that reservations cannot be based on religion, as the Constitution restricts affirmative action to socio-eco...