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CM Conrad chairs first NE Tourism Task Force meet on Tourism


Shillong | April 7| Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma today chaired the first High Level Task Force meeting on Tourism, which was attended by DoNER Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Chief Minister Sikkim Prem Singh Tamang, Chief Minister Tripura Dr. Manik Saha and officials of both centre and state.

During the meeting the framework to unlock North East India’s tourism potential was discussed.

Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma remarked that tourists from the rest of India and globally identify the NorthEast region as “one” and it is imperative that the states work in close coordination to facilitate tourism.

He lauded DoNER Minister for taking up the initiative to constitute the task force, which the chief minister termed as a “landmark” intervention to boost tourism in the entire North Eastern region. He said that the NE region has come up with industrial policies, and is paving the way for industrial growth.

Speaking at the meeting, DoNER Minister Scindia said, “The region can leverage its rich heritage and natural beauty to drive sustainable development, boost local economies and generate employment”.

The Task Force constituted by the Ministry of DoNER headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister will study the tourism potential of the region, suggest interventions, identify strategic gaps and recommend a roadmap for comprehensive development of the tourism sector in the region.

During the meeting, the DoNER Minister suggested that the tourism model of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and other south Asian nations should be studied and build a model that further boosts the tourism potential of the region.

Chief Minister Tripura Manik Saha suggested intervention which has been initiated by the state to promote tourism including presenting unique NE cuisines, while Chief Minister Sikkim Prem Singh Tamang spoke at length on tourism interventions and flow of tourists to the state, while suggesting promotion of the region through consistent marketing and branding. He also recommended collaboration amongst all North Eastern States to facilitate tourism.

The Task Force has been constituted following the 72nd plenary of North Eastern Council (NEC) held in November 2024 at Agartala, Tripura. The Task Force has been constituted by the Ministry of DoNER with collaboration of the Ministry of Tourism.

As part of the intervention, in each of the eight states one tourism circuit will be identified. Through this intervention, the government aims to attract both domestic and international tourists to the region.

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.