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Sitharaman begins 4-day visit to Meghalaya, inaugurates Shillong’s first modern shopping mall
Shillong: Nirmala Sitharaman inaugurated ₹100 crore Polo Commercial Complex, Meghalaya's first modern mall, during her visit to the state.
Shillong: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday inaugurated the ₹100 crore Polo Commercial Complex in Shillong — Meghalaya’s first modern shopping mall developed under the Smart Cities Mission.
Sitharaman, who is on a four-day visit to the state from Thursday, also chaired a North East roundtable meeting on the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme (PMIS). The scheme provides 12-month paid internships with monthly financial assistance of ₹5,000 and a one-time grant of ₹6,000.
“This is the beauty of such a scheme—helping talent bloom and building India’s future,” she said.
Meghalaya chief minister Conrad K. Sangma said the commercial complex will soon be handed over to private operators through a tendering process.
“Thanks to the finance minister’s continued encouragement, many of the state’s iconic public structures and roads have come up under the Centre’s Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCII) scheme,” Sangma added.
Deputy chief minister and urban affairs minister Sniawbhalang Dhar, health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, and the chief secretary were also present.
Spread over 1.26 acre, the mall houses 109 retail outlets, eight office units, a food court, and a gaming zone of over 15,000 sq ft, with parking for 86 cars and 50 two-wheelers. It has five lifts, 12 escalators, five emergency exits, and 110 CCTV cameras managed through a central building management system. Sustainable features include rooftop solar panels, rainwater harvesting, and integrated water and sewage treatment systems.
The finance minister will also visit Umiam Lake, being redeveloped, and unveil a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions (MICE) and cultural hub at Mawkhanu. She will launch a 40,000-seat football stadium—reportedly India’s largest—being developed at Mawkhanu. In addition, she will virtually inaugurate 75 digital libraries across remote areas under a ₹162 crore initiative.
She will lay the foundation stone for four working women’s hostels in Shillong, Jowai, Byrnihat, and Tura and unveil the Meghalaya Film Tourism Policy 2025, aimed at making the state a prime shooting location.
Sitharaman will also flag off a consignment of premium pineapples to the Lulu Group in Dubai under the Megha-LAMP (Meghalaya Livelihoods and Access to Markets Project) initiative.
The finance minister is scheduled to travel to Sohra on July 12, where she will interact with members of self-help groups, farmer producer organisations, and Lakhpati Didis — rural women who have achieved financial independence through livelihood initiatives.
