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Shillong, 14th Oct 2022: In a historic event, Meghalaya’s first five-star hotel, the Vivanta Meghalaya, Shillong, was inaugurated today by Chief Minister, Conrad K. Sangma in an event was attended by Minister, Tourism, Sniawbhalang Dhar, Chairman, MTDC, Saleng Sangma and Chief Secretary, D P Wahlang among others.

In his inaugural address, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma said that the occasion was truly momentous in the history of Meghalaya. He informed that the work for the hotel had been going on since 1986 and could be completed after decades. He congratulated and thanked all the stakeholders for completing the project despite the COVID-induced disruptions. “The Vivanta Meghalaya is another example of the determination to not give up and continue doing things even when faced with a number of challenges and this hotel can be a story of the State of perseverance, commitment and dedication,” he said.

He added that the State faces a shortage of high-quality rooms and the presence of five-star hotels in Shillong would allow the government to attract high-value tourists, host national and international music and sports events, and other seminars and conferences. “The Vivanta Meghalaya, Shillong would herald an era of luxury tourism in the State and will go a long way in fulfilling the aspirations of the residents of the State,” he said.

The Chief Minister reiterated his vision of transforming Meghalaya into the top 10 states within the next 10 years and said that Tourism is at the core of realizing this vision. He said that the Government is developing Tourism on a hub and spoke model where in Sohra, Jowai, Shillong, Umiam and Tura will act as hubs and nearby rural tourist destinations will be developed as spokes. “Tourism is a very important sector and has a great multiplier effect therefore the government is working to create the right ecosystem for Tourism in the State,” he said. In line with this strategy the government has taken a number of initiatives to augment the accommodation infrastructure in the State. These include the construction of large resorts and tourism infrastructure in Sakaladuma in West Garo Hills, Shnongpdeng in West Jaintia Hills, Sohra in East Khasi Hills, Mawlyndep and Nongmahir in Ribhoi, Nongkhnum in West Khasi Hills, Thadlaskien in West Jaintia Hills and Pelgawari in South West Garo Hills. Tourism infrastructure and amenities at a cost of Rs. 5 -10 crores each, will also be set up in several villages.

To further augment the accommodation infrastructure, the ‘Homestay Scheme’ has been launched, wherein 2,500 accommodation units will be built over the next five years in convergence with the PMEGP. A subsidy of 35% is being given on loans of up to Rs. 10 lakh by the State government which is over and above the 35% subsidy being given by the Government of India under PMEGP. The residents stand to earn a monthly revenue of up to Rs. 50,000 by paying an EMI of just Rs. 5,000. The Government has received over 480 applications and has sanctioned Rs. 7.1 crores to build about 75 homestays.

In addition to accommodation infrastructure, the Chief Minister said that the connectivity infrastructure is also being upgraded to decongest Shillong and provide connectivity to new destinations. He informed that a fleet of electric buses and luxury tourist vehicles will be introduced to add capacity to the transport sector. Further, he said that the works for the iconic Shillong Peak Ropeway, being taken up at a cost of Rs. 140 crores, are also expected to commence by the end of this year. The Chief Minister also spoke about the ‘Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project (MGMP)’ as part of which regular musical performances are being organized in Shillong, Sohra, Tura and Jowai. Apart from providing livelihood opportunities to the artists and entrepreneurs, MGMP is also playing an important role in promoting the musical culture and heritage of the State and at the same time is also providing a unique experience for the tourists.

The Chief Minister also said that the Vivanta Meghalaya, Shillong along with the upcoming hotel Courtyard by Marriott will give a huge boost to high-value tourism in the State. This model will be further replicated going forward to transform Meghalaya into the most preferred destination for ecotourism. Today we have handed over the hotel to IHCL and the hotel will soon be open for guests.

It may be mentioned here that with a built-up area of about 8,800 sq. m., the hotel has 101 rooms and other facilities including a speciality restaurant, coffee shops, bar, retail shops, and a banquet hall. It is owned by the Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) and has been leased out for a period of 33 years on a PPP mode to be operated by the IHCL.

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.