Page 4 - Meghalaya

Taking steps to improve: Conrad admits Meghalaya's poor NITI Aayog ranking

Admitting to NITI Aayog ranking of Meghalaya as one of the poorest states in the country, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma assured that the state's situation will improve in the next five years. Meghalaya has been ranked among the five poorest states in India in the 'National Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI): A Progress Review 2023' report released by Niti Aayog on July 17. The chief minister said he accepted the report and admitted that even if action has been taken, the results may take some time to be seen. We have to accept we have challenges and are lagging behind. We have to start by accepting where we are, what are the challenges we face and work towards improving them, Conrad told PTI. He said, All steps we have taken in the last five years have been towards improving the situation. I am sure that in the next five years, we will see a huge improvement in these numbers. The CM said though the state has a lot of challenges, there are areas where the government has achieved

Meghalaya govt appoints 4-member Education Commission to recommend reforms

The Meghalaya government has appointed Sherwin May Sungoh, head of the Education department of the North Eastern Hill University, as the chairperson of a four-member State Education Commission, officials said on Sunday. The commission will recommend reforms and policy changes for promoting quality education in schools, colleges and institutions of higher and technical education, they said. The other members of the Education commission are former UPSC chairman David Reid Syiemlieh, former MBOSE executive chairman Tony TC Marak and education secretary Ambrose Ch Marak who will be the member secretary, they said. According to a notification, the commission will also be assisted by 12 co-opted members and its term will be for two years. "The Education Commission will recommend concrete solutions and strategic intervention and policy decisions for ushering reforms in the school and higher education system from the perspective of NEP 2020 and fulfilling its various principles and ...

Mob attacks BSF outpost in Meghalaya, 5 injured; CM says keeping watch

At least five people, including two BSF personnel, were injured when villagers attacked a border outpost in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district, officials said on Monday. The incident took place at Umsyiem village near Dawki town, 100 km south of the state capital, on Sunday night after the border guards seized some clothes allegedly meant to be smuggled to Bangladesh. Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the situation in the area close to the international border is under control and the state government is keeping a close watch on the development. BSF Meghalaya Frontier inspector general Pradip Kumar told PTI: In the last few days, we seized a number of items meant to be smuggled to Bangladesh and identified the smugglers. Due to this, they led a mob to attack the outpost forcing the BSF to retaliate by firing in the air. In a statement, the BSF said they seized clothes worth over Rs 2.7 lakh meant for smuggling. The BSF foiled two smuggling bids on Sunday. In the morning, the

Over 40,000 youths dependent on drugs need empathy, says Meghalaya CM

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday said that altogether 40,500 youths of the state are now dependent on narcotic drugs and they need to be treated with empathy so that they become responsible citizens. Sangma highlighted the state's ambitious Drug Reduction, Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM), a Rs 10 crore programme aimed at eliminating substance abuse by leveraging the participation of communities and religious bodies and coordinating strategies. The state government is making concerted efforts to ensure that Meghalaya becomes a drug-free state. We need to ensure that the 40,500 youth who are totally dependent on drugs are treated with empathy and taken care of so that they can integrate back into society as responsible and productive citizens, he said. The chief minister was addressing the state-level awareness programme on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. Sangma said that observing the Day is part of a larger plan to ensure

Mob attacks BSF outpost in Meghalaya's East Khasi, 5 injured: Officials

At least 5 persons, including 2 BSF personnel, were injured when villagers attacked a border outpost in Meghalaya's East Khasi Hills district on Sunday night, officials said. The incident took place around 10pm at Umsyiem village near Dawki town, 100 km south of the state capital, when a mob attacked the outpost, officials said on Monday. BSF Meghalaya Frontier inspector general Pradip Kumar told PTI, In the last few days, we seized a huge number of items meant to be smuggled to Bangladesh and identified the smugglers. Due to this, they led a mob to attack the outpost forcing the BSF to retaliate by firing in the air. At least 2 BSF personnel were injured when they were hit by stones pelted by the mob, he said, adding that some of the villagers tried to enter the outpost forcefully and they were pushed back. In the incident, at least three villagers were also injured, according to eyewitnesses. The incident took place when a vehicle with three occupants allegedly broke down near t

Over 100 cows died, 8,000 infected in Meghalaya due to lumpy skin disease

Over 100 cows have died in Meghalaya due to the highly infectious lumpy skin disease and over 8,000 animals have been infected by LSD so far, an official said on Sunday. A veterinary health department official said over 28,500 cows have been vaccinated till date to contain the disease. "The number of cows infected with lumpy skin disease (LSD) is 8,177 and 5,884 cows have recovered from the disease and 101 animals have died, as per records of the department," a senior official of the Animal Husbandry and Veterinary department told PTI. He said over 28,500 cows were given preventive vaccination for LSD and over 2,100 cows are at various stages of LSD infections. The veterinary department official claimed that African swine fever in pigs is "contained" as of now with the disease claiming over 230 pigs across the state since January 2023. The last pig that died due to the ASF was reported on June 2 from Ri-Bhoi district, he said. Since the report of the infection, beef and pork ...

Take all measures to restore normalcy in Manipur: Meghalaya CM urges Centre

Sangma made the appeal at a meeting called by Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, to address the concerning situation in Manipur

Congress to support ruling NPP in Meghalaya sans BJP: State party chief

Days after opposition Congress supported the ruling National People's Party in a tribal council, Congress MP Vincent H Pala said the party is ready to support the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government minus the BJP. Pala, who is also the Meghalaya Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief, said his party with 5 MLAs would be very happy if it can convince the NPP (with 28 MLAs) in the House of 60 to sever ties with the BJP (with 2 MLAs). We will be very happy if we can convince the NPP to sever ties with the BJP. Minus the saffron party, we are ready to support and work together with the NPP in the state, Pala told PTI on Friday. The Congress members of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council got the approval of the party before extending support to the NPP, he said. The Congress, with 5 MDCs, had supported the NPP in ousting the United Democratic Party (UDP)-led United Democratic Alliance (UDA) executive committee in the KHADC. We are ready to work with anybody except the BJP

Monsoon advancing towards northeast, Assam to witness rains in next 2 days

The monsoon has also advanced towards Gangetic West Bengal, the northeastern part of Jharkhand and adjoining area of Bihar, Mohapatra added

4.8-magnitude earthquake jolts parts of Assam, Meghalaya: Officials

A 4.8-magnitude earthquake jolted parts of the northeast, including Assam and Meghalaya, on Friday, officials said. Epicentred in Gopalganj area of neighbouring Bangladesh, the quake was recorded at 10.16 am, according to the National Centre for Seismology. The tremors were felt in most parts of Assam and several places in Meghalaya, the officials said. No loss of life or damage to property has been reported yet. The northeastern region falls in a high seismic zone, making earthquakes frequent in the region.

NTA to reschedule CUET exam for Meghalaya students: Education Minister

Meghalaya Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma on Thursday said the National Testing Authority (NTA) has decided to reschedule CUET examination for students from the northeastern state who have been allotted centres elsewhere in the country. The Common Universities Entrance Test (CUET) is scheduled to be held on Friday. "The Union Ministry for Human Resources has directed the NTA to reschedule the exam for students from the state who were allotted CUET examination centres outside the state," Sangma told PTI. The rescheduled exam date for the affected students from Meghalaya will be announced as soon as the state administration submits to the NTA the list of the affected students, he said. The students on the list will get another opportunity to sit for the exam on a rescheduled date, he said, adding that data is being collected at the moment and the list will be submitted to the NTA at the earliest. He said the development took place after Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma wrote a lett

Meghalaya HC pulls up govt for allowing coal export without seeking origin

The Meghalaya High Court has pulled up the state government for allowing export of coal through land customs stations in the state without seeking to ascertain the source or origin of such coal. A division bench of the court comprising Chief Justice Sanjb Banerjee and Justice W Diengdoh said this on Thursday while hearing a PIL filed by Champer M Sangma. "It is alarming that despite the state understanding the purport of the request by Central agencies, it was so lax that it allowed tens of thousands of metric tonnes of coal to be cleared for export through land customs stations within the state without, apparently, seeking to ascertain the source or origin of such coal," the division bench said. The high court said several letters were issued to the state by central agencies and by the Union Finance Ministry before the suo motu proceedings pertaining to illegal coal-mining and illegal transportation of the illegally-mined coal being instituted in this court. "The Central agencies

Meghalaya sets up panel to review reservation formula, VPP MLA breaks fast

The Meghalaya government on Thursday announced the constitution of an expert committee to review the 1972 reservation policy in line with demands made by the opposition Voice of the People's Party (VPP) whose leader is on an indefinite hunger strike since last week. Following the announcement, VPP MLA Ardent Basaiawmoit called off his hunger strike that lasted for over 200 hours. The expert committee is mandated to review the state reservation policy by obtaining views from all stakeholders, Chief Secretary D P Wahlang said in a notification today. "The chairperson and members of the committee shall consist of experts in constitutional law, economics, sociology, demographic studies and related fields," it added. An all-party committee on reservation roster and reservation policy which had met on Wednesday had also supported appointing an expert committee to review the 51-year-old reservation policy. The 1972 job reservation policy awarded 40 per cent of reserved jobs to Garos, 40

Meghalaya govt sets up expert committee to review reservation policy

The Meghalaya government on Thursday announced constitution of an expert committee to review the 1972 reservation policy in line with demands made by the opposition Voice of the People's Party (VPP) whose leader is on an indefinite hunger strike since Tuesday last week. The expert committee is mandated to review the state reservation policy by obtaining views from all stakeholders, Chief Secretary D P Wahlang said in a notification today. The chairperson and members of the committee shall consist of experts in constitutional law, economics, sociology, demographic studies and related fields, it added. An all-party committee on reservation roster and reservation policy which had met on Wednesday had also supported appointing an expert committee to review the 51-year-old reservation policy. The 1972 job reservation policy awarded 40 per cent of reserved jobs to Garos, 40 per cent for Khasi-Jaintia tribes, 5 per cent for other tribes and 15 per cent for general category ...

Set up committee on job reservations: All party meet tells Meghalaya govt

The Meghalaya government set-up all-party meeting to review the 1972 job reservation policy has proposed the constitution of an expert committee to review the policy. The all-party meeting was held on Wednesday chaired by Meghalaya Law Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh. The meeting proposed the constitution of an expert committee to review the state's job reservation policy, Lyngdoh said. The expert committee should have legal, constitutional and economic background experts that will look at data and evaluation of population, she said. "The (constitution of an expert committee) will be one of the suggestions to be sent to the government by the committee," Lyngdoh told media persons after the meeting with leaders and representatives of all political parties including those of the agitating Voice of the People's Party (VPP) on Wednesday. She, however, said that not all political parties are in agreement to have an expert committee. "There are political parties who agreed and there are poli

Meghalaya govt reconstitutes committee reviewing state reservation policy

The Meghalaya government has reconstituted a committee to review the state reservation policy in the backdrop of an indefinite hunger strike launched by the opposition Voice of the People's Party (VPP) seeking changes to the existing reservation formula, an official said on Wednesday. The committee was reconstituted on Tuesday and will hold a meeting with political parties on the issue on Wednesday, he said. The committee will be headed by the state Law Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh. A final decision on the reservation policy will, however, be taken only after Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma holds a meeting, his deputy Sniawbhalang Dhar told PTI on Wednesday. "The issue is sensitive and needs to be discussed at length. However, it should not be discussed in the streets but across the table ... The government will take a decision with the best interests of the people and the state in mind," he said. The VPP is raking up the reservation issue, which does not have the support of the ot

Meghalaya inks MoU with NIOS to facilitate return of dropouts to schools

Concerned with the high dropout rate in Meghalaya, the state government on Tuesday signed an MoU with the National Institute of Open Schooling to facilitate the return of dropouts to educational institutions. While Assam recorded the highest dropout rate in the country with 31 per cent of out-of-school students at the secondary level, Tripura with 29.8 per cent is ranked number 2, an official of the education department said. Meghalaya with 27.9 per cent drop out rate in secondary level is ranked third followed closely by Madhya Pradesh (26.1 per cent) and Nagaland (24.4 per cent), he said. An MoU for identification of Out of School Children (OoSC) and enrolling them into the NIOS Study Centres was signed between the Samagra Shiksha authorities and the National Institute of Open Schooling, a statement said. Samagra Shiksha' state project director Swapnil Tembe and NIOS chairperson Saroj Sharma were present on the occasion. At present Meghalaya has only 25 NIOS study centres in 5

Meghalaya board declares class 10 results, only 51.93% students successful

The Meghalaya Board of School Education (MBoSE) announced the results of the class 10 final examinations on Friday, in which only 51.93 per cent of the appearing students were declared successful. Samridhya Das of Sherwood School in Tura secured the first rank in Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC) examination for class 10 by scoring 572 out of 600 marks. Jyotipriya Bhattacharjee of St Margaret's Higher Secondary School in Shillong secured the second rank by scoring 570 marks. Tanushri Acharjee, also of St Margaret's Higher Secondary School, Ritam Deep Chowdhury of Sherwood School and Salrime M Sangma of St Xavier's Secondary School shared the third position by scoring 564 marks. Of the total 51,280 students from 656 schools appearing in the exams, only 26,629 were declared successful. This year, the pass percentage went down to 51.93 from last year's 56.96 per cent. The MBoSE also announced the results for the Arts stream of Higher Secondary Leaving Certificate (HSLC) ...

Meghalaya health authorities rope in religious bodies on tobacco awareness

Health authorities in Meghalaya have turned to religious leaders to seek their help in spreading awareness on tobacco-related cancer, officials said on Wednesday. Meghalaya records about 8,000 deaths per year due to cancer out of which 70 per cent are tobacco-related cancer cases, they said. The state also has a record 131 cancer cases per 1 lakh population and this is ten times the national average, cancer surgeon at the North East Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences Dr Caleb Harris told PTI. At the institute alone, about 1200 cancer cases are recorded annually and about 750 800 cases are tobacco-related cancer cases, he said adding that esophageal cancer, the most prevalent in the state, is caused by use of tobacco, alcohol and betel nut, and hence is preventable. Involvement of religious leaders would go a long way in this regard as they are in a position to influence the masses effectively. It was imperative, NEIGRIHMS director Nalin Mehta said a .

Assam, Meghalaya CMs scheduled to meet today to discuss border disputes

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his Meghalaya counterpart Conrad Sangma are scheduled to meet here on Wednesday to hold further discussions on resolving border disputes between the two states in six remaining areas. The chief ministers of both the states are also likely to visit the disputed areas later as a goodwill gesture, officials said. Meghalaya was carved out of Assam as a separate state in 1972 and it had challenged the Assam Reorganisation Act, 1971, leading to disputes in 12 areas of the 884.9 km long border between the two states. Sarma on assuming the Chief Minister's office in May, 2021 had announced that his priority was to resolve long-standing boundary disputes with neighbouring states. Subsequently, three regional Committees were set up in August 2021 to resolve the issues in a phased manner. The regional committees submitted their recommendations which were handed over to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi by the two chief ministers, followed