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Shillong, 14th Nov 2024: Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, today, attended the Seaplane Demonstration held at on the Water Sports Complex, Orchid Resort,  Umiam Lake. The event was organised by the Transport Department, Government of Meghalaya in collaboration with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. Also present during the occasion was Minister, Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Ramohan Naidu.

In his opening remarks, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, said, “In the late 90s to the mid of 2000, as a budding entrepreneur, I travelled to various parts of North Eastern region of India which is about a 20 hour journey by bus to state capitals particularly to Kohima, Imphal and other places to build up my business. I realised the gap of connectivity and challenges which I had faced then and when we came to the government in 2018, Aviation became a key component for upgradation and change.”

He further said,”With the  introduction of the UDAN scheme in 2008 it became a major game changer in terms of connectivity for India and particularly for the state of Meghalaya and the North Eastern Region in general. The Honourable Prime Minister made it a point to connect the regional headquarters to other smaller states and we have seen this unprecedented change in the last eight years. Now we can travel in an hour’s time to the other northern state capitals by air and has seen a significant change and growth in trade and connectivity.”

He further said that he was informed that it takes 200 metres of waterbody and 5 metres of depth for seaplanes to land and take off. “With the terrain and landscape of Meghalaya this will be conducive as water bodies can be created as we recieve adequate rainfall,” he added and said it would be cost-effective as it would take an amount of 15 lakhs approximately to build a dam for landing rather than building an runway for an airport.

He also informed that a reservoir in Tura to curb water scarcity is being built and this in the next few years would be in line for seaplanes to land as well.

Speaking about the challenges faced, the Chief Minister said “We have faced significant challenges for the Umroi airport and are pushing for the expansion of the runway for mid sized aircraft like the Airbus A320 to take off and land. We have been able to sustain connectivity to Delhi but want to expand that network. We are also keen to operationalise the Baljek Airport in Tura and I am sure with the support of the Aviation Ministry this would become a reality.”

Speaking about the impact of the seaplane demonstration, the Chief Minister said that the seaplane would be meaningless if it is not connected to a whole ecosystem which needs to be developed particularly Tourism, Trade and Commerce, Connectivity etc.

“I am aware that according to Skyscanner’s 2025 Travel Trends Report that Shillong is the top destination for Indian travelers in 2025 beating places like Baku and Azerbaijan. Meghalaya is preparing itself to be at the crest of this wave of change as we are awaiting the setting up of a 7 star hotel at this very place. This move would also be a symbiotic relationship for the seaplane demo today as it could open opportunities for tourism avenues to be explored. The stake holders play a key role In this regard as tourists are keen to visit multiple places in the northeast and this initiative plays a key role for this sector to grow.”

Minister, Civil Aviation, Kinjarapu Ramohan Naidu said, “India has about 1300 islands, ample landable waterbodies like rivers and lakes and a massive coastline which is a major reason for use of seaplanes and upscaling in this area for growth or many socio economic activities. I assure support for growth of Umiam Airport and other aviation requirements to the Government of Meghalaya in this regard. We have adapted the aviation guidelines for more flexibility for aviation to flourish in the country.”

The amphibious aircraft that was demonstrated is a manufacture of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited and managed by Spicejet.

The event was also attended by Sniawbhalang Dhar, Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Damanbait Lamare, MLA, Umroi, Chief Secretary, DP Wahlang, Sanjay Goyal, Director, Department of Transport, representatives of De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited and other officials of the State and Central Government.

Initiatives : Agriculture

Launch of “Restart Meghalaya Mission’ on 15th August 2020

The Mission comprise of a series of interventions to support farmers and entrepreneurs by enabling them to build growth-promoting basic infrastructure and services. Under this Mission, 1917iTEAMS – the IT Platform aimed at enabling farmers access to agricultural information, crop advisories and markets will be expanded logistically through induction of another 100 vehicles.

Creation of the Directorate of Food Processing on May 2018

With the objective of seizing opportunities in the sector and the untapped food processing potential of the state for uplifting the livelihoods of farmers and value chain actors, the Government of Meghalaya created the Directorate of Food Processing (DFP) as a one-stop agency to handle all matters relating to food processing in the state and to deal with all central government Ministries and Agencies (viz. Ministries of Agriculture, and Food Processing, SFAC, NCDC, NABARD, etc.) in all matters pertaining to the development of agricultural food processing sector.

First Ever Farmer’s Parliament held on 4th - 5th December 2018

The parliament was organised by the state department of agriculture in collaboration with Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA) and the Hill Farmers' Union (HFU). As a step toward the promotion of new technologies, HFU with the support of Meghalaya government, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for a Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence App for farmers — called Nongrep (nongrep in Khasi language means farmer) with its software partner Impetus Solutions from Hyderabad — as a social innovation project. This app will address matters of farm aggregations, soil health and disease identification, crop yield, farm produce pickups, market linkage and retail sellers app.

Launch of the Farmer’s Portal on 7th May 2018

The Meghalaya Famers’ Portal (www.megfarmers.gov.in) of the Department of Agriculture is a platform for farmers to seek any information related to agriculture. Detailed information on farmers’ insurance, agricultural storage, crops, extension activities, seeds, pesticides, farm machineries, etc. is provided. Details of fertilizers, market prices, package and practices, programmes, welfare schemes are also given.

Awards & Recognitions
  • Meghalaya has been selected for the Commendation award in 'Total foodgrains Category-III' for 2017-18. The award consists of a citation and an amount of Rs. 1 crore.
  • Meghalaya Agriculture Department and the MIE Meghalaya Team won the '7th eNabling North East (eNorth East) Award 2019-20' in the 'Agriculture & Rural Development' category for 1917 iTEAMS project which is a project in collaboration with Digital India.
  • Prime Minister Narendra Modi awarded Meghalaya on May 2018 the Krishi Commendation Award for the year 2015-16, in recognition of the commendable foodgrains production achieved by the State.
  • Meghalaya has been adjudged the Most Improved Small State in the category of Agriculture and received the India Today – "The State of the States” Award on 23rd November 2018.