E-Paper
Meghalaya among fastest-growing states, economy more than doubled since 2018: CM on I-Day
Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma said the state was the 3rd fastest-growing in India over five years, with its economy more than doubling since 2018.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K Sangma on Saturday said the state has emerged as one of India’s fastest-growing economies, with its economy more than doubling since 2018, while outlining a development vision focused on protecting natural resources, creating jobs and improving livelihoods.
Addressing the Independence Day programme at Polo Grounds in Shillong, Sangma said the government had focused on three foundations — “protecting and preserving our land, empowering our people and upholding our culture”.
Sangma, the NPP chief who became the chief minister for the first time in 2018, said the state has witnessed improvements in roads, basic infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, education, tourism and sports.
Deep Dive
“Today, our economy has more than doubled since 2018, making Meghalaya the third fastest-growing state in India over the last five years,” he said, while thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Centre’s support.
The government, he said, had brought 63,000 hectares of natural forest under conservation through GREEN Meghalaya Plus, with nearly 6,300 farmers receiving annual payments for protecting forests. More than 60,000 springs have also been mapped, while over 500 large water-harvesting structures are being created.
“Our land is our greatest strength,” he said, adding that Meghalaya has 76% forest cover and that communities depend on forests, rivers, soil and biodiversity.
Recalling a visit to the Nokrek area in Garo Hills, Sangma said a farmer whose land had repeatedly been burnt for jhum did not ask for relief. “He looked at me and said: ‘Give me an orchard, and I will stop the fire,’” Sangma recalled. “That one line has stayed with me ever since. He was not asking to be rescued. He was asking for an alternative.”
CM Sangma said that under CM FARM+, a scheme launched by the Meghalaya government, more than 25,000 farmers across all 12 districts are being provided high-value, long-gestation crops.
The state’s Lakadong, organic, floriculture and ginger missions are similarly aimed at moving farmers towards higher-value production, he said, adding that the government is also supporting farmers’ share of crop insurance premiums for more than 72,000 farmers.
Sangma said Meghalaya was also trying to address one of agriculture’s longstanding weaknesses — the distance between production and markets. A spice-processing facility at Bhoirymbong, Ri-Bhoi, can process 10,000 metric tonnes of ginger annually and is expected to benefit 5,500 farmers across 112 villages. Forty PRIME Hubs are also being established to bring farmers closer to markets, he said.
Infrastructure remains a major part of the transformation, with more than 3,200 km of roads built over eight years, the CM said.
On healthcare, Sangma said maternal deaths had fallen by more than 56% since 2020 and infant deaths by nearly 40%, while full immunisation coverage had remained at 90% for three consecutive years.
Under the Safe Motherhood Scheme, he said CM-Safe Motherhood vehicles have carried one lakh pregnant women, including more than 15,800 high-risk mothers, to healthcare facilities. “Distance no longer decides a mother’s fate, or her child’s,” Sangma added.
Education and youth employment formed another major plank of the address. Meghalaya has moved out of the lowest category in the national Performance Grading Index, with its score rising from 448 to 525 in a year. SSLC pass rates have climbed from 57% in 2018 to 97.2%, while Higher Secondary School Leaving Certificate (HSSLC) pass rates have risen from 75% to 86.6%.
More than 55,000 young people have undergone training under the CM Skills Mission since 2022. Entrepreneurship programmes PRIME (Promotion and Incubation of Market-driven Enterprises) and CM-ELEVATE have supported thousands of entrepreneurs and generated about 10,000 direct and 25,000 indirect jobs, Sangma said.
He said tourism has also emerged as a significant livelihood generator, with annual visitor numbers rising from around 12 lakh in 2018 to nearly 18 lakh. The government is supporting homestays and developing destinations across the state, he added.
The music sector, too, has been brought into the economic mainstream, with the Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme supporting more than 8,850 artists through over 18,000 performances, he said.
The state has increased the number of rehabilitation centres from nine in 2018 to 14 and launched the DREAM Mission to tackle drug abuse.
“The strongest defence against drugs is not just a rehabilitation centre,” he said. “It is a full life. A ball in hand. A coach who believes in you. A stage to perform on. A skill to build a career with.”
On governance, Sangma said more than one lakh citizens had engaged with the government through CM Connect since 2024, while the state had gone three consecutive years without scheduled load-shedding and reduced transmission losses from 30% to 13.2%.
He also mentioned the 2022 Assam-Meghalaya agreement, which resolved differences in six of the 12 areas along the inter-state boundary, saying efforts would continue on the remaining six.
Looking ahead, Sangma highlighted New Shillong, the Dhubri-Phulbari bridge and the upcoming 39th National Games as potential catalysts for the state’s next phase of growth. More than 10,000 athletes are expected to participate in nearly 39 disciplines.
However, he acknowledged that Meghalaya’s development journey remained unfinished.
“There are villages still waiting for better connections, young people waiting for a first opportunity, families working towards a better income,” he said.
Sangma ended by returning to the image of Meghalaya’s living root bridges — structures built by generations who knew they might never see the finished result.
“Great things take time,” he said. “They take perseverance, they take participation and above all they take purpose.”
