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Shillong | April 3, 2025: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Thursday attended the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the All Meghalaya Karbi Association (AMKA) at Purduwa Kharpati in Ri Bhoi District.

Speaking on the occasion, he recalled the contribution of various Karbi leaders –  (L) Valerian Hing Timung, (L) Jaipo Thang Taro,  Dominic Timung, Joy Taro and Chikraw Timung, who were part of Meghalaya’s statehood movement.   

“Their names still resonate with us today, and their sacrifices will never be forgotten. Our Karbi brothers spent months in jail while fighting for our statehood, showcasing the strong bond between the Karbi people and Meghalaya,” he said.

Congratulating the members of AMKA, the chief minister acknowledged the contribution of the founding members of the organisation, who have worked for the past 50 years to conserve and preserve the rich cultural diversity of the community.

Talking on the shared history and brotherhood between different tribes of the state, the chief minister said, “We may have different larger communities and tribes in our state, but let me assure every single citizen of our state, that no matter which tribe you belong to, no matter which religion you practice… being in Meghalaya and being a citizen of Meghalaya, makes you equally important to us… and it is the duty of every single leader and the government to ensure that all development and overall protection and rights are given to all the people living in our state of Meghalaya.”

Highlighting the importance of preservation of the state’s diversity and culture, the chief minister announced Rs. 50 Lakh for establishment of Karbi Culture Centre. He said that the government has been supporting different minority groups in the state for preservation of culture and tradition.

“The government’s endeavour is to ensure that every community feels included. Culture is essential to our identity, and it is what makes us who we are – whether Khasi, Garo, Rabha, Koch, Hajong, or Krabi,” he added.

On the challenges along the area of difference between Assam-Meghalaya border, he said, “There has been an effort from Assam and Meghalaya government and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council to ensure that we work in harmony and maintain peace”.

He said that there is no school in area of difference, and children’s have to study under the shed of a tree or in someone’s house, but with a concerted effort and coordination between Assam and the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, Meghalaya has been able to support construction of a school in one of the area of difference. The school is being constructed from funds released under Chief Minister Special Development Fund (CMSDF).

“There are many areas where the government is working together, to ensure development that the people deserve. Challenges are there and will always be there, but the government is working to resolve the issue,”, he added.

On difficulties being faced by people living along the Assam-Meghalaya border, the chief minister informed that both the government including the council have been working to resolve the issues.

“Things are moving forward in the right direction. Let us continue to be committed to our people. Let us understand the pain the people go through and we can be instrumental in resolving the border issue. It is not a simple issue to resolve, and it is a political challenge, apart from technical challenge. Governments in the past, may not have taken this forward. But we are committed to resolve the issue. I thank my Assam counterpart for taking the initiative to resolve the issue,” he added.

On the demand raised by AMKA to change the nomenclature of classifying the Karbis from Mikir in the state, he said, “I am aware of the issue regarding the nomenclature. It is a challenge, which has to be taken up at the top level. However, the process has started and we have constituted a committee headed by the Commissioner Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, along with other demands of different minority tribes. The committee will study and recommend, which will have to be taken up with the Government of India”.

On 125th Constitutional Amendment Bill, the demand has been raised for inclusion of unrepresented tribes, to which the chief minister said, “…since the number of nominated members is large, the government will be in a position to expand and figure out if there is a need to include members from the unrepresented tribe. Therefore, the option is not closed.”

On promotion of local language in the education system, the chief minister announced the intention to introduce Khasi and Garo to all students across Meghalaya. “I personally believe that it is important that the students understand words from both the languages. It will be challenging to introduce Khasi for students in Garo Hills and similarly Garo for students in Khasi Hills, but we are exploring the possibility to make both the languages mandatory in schools across the state”, he asserted.

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.