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Meghalaya cabinet grants official language status to Khasi, Garo
Meghalaya cabinet approves ordinance giving Khasi and Garo official status alongside English, aiming to boost governance, exams and promote indigenous languages
The Meghalaya cabinet on Thursday approved an ordinance granting official language status to Khasi and Garo alongside English, repealing the Meghalaya State Language Act, 2005.
Chief minister Conrad K. Sangma termed the decision “historic and very important.” “The cabinet (today took a) historic and a very important decision (by approving) Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance 2026 repealing the Meghalaya State Language Act 2005 which will impact the overall functioning as well as opportunities that will open especially for the youths of our state and also help in promoting our languages,” he said after chairing the meeting.
“Under the new Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance 2026, the main point is that from now on apart from English, Khasi and Garo language will also become official language of the state,” he added.
CM Sangma said the ordinance would gradually expand the use of Khasi and Garo in administration and governance. “Once amended, it will also enable our legislators to speak and debate in Khasi and Garo language apart from English even during their Assembly sessions,” he said.
The decision will also extend to recruitment and competitive examinations, he said, adding, “This decision will also pave the way for different important examinations also to be held apart from English in our own local languages which is Garo and Khasi.”
“This will of course not happen immediately. The process will take some time… certain decisions will require logistical setups to be created, manpower to be employed and different infrastructures to be created, rules to be created,” Sangma said.
Linking the move to the long-pending demand for inclusion of Khasi and Garo in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, the CM said, “This also is being done primarily because the resolution to include the Khasi and Garo language in the Eighth Scheduled was taken by the Assembly… so that a stronger message can be sent to the Government of India and the parliament.”
“That will depend on the government of India and the prime minister and home minister… we have to push in the parliament,” he added.
On official usage, Sangma clarified that English would continue as the link language. “The notifications in the gazette and the orders that come out from the government of Meghalaya will be in English, Garo and Khasi… so all three languages will be there,” he said, adding that inter-district communication and file noting would continue in English.
