Meghalaya

State(pop.,2008est.:2,536,000),northeasternIndia.
HisExcellencyRanjitShekharMooshahary,GovernorofMeghalaya

Dr.MukulSangma,ChiefMinisterofMeghalaya

CouncilofMinisters
Sl Name Designation
Phone
(Office)
Phone
(Residence)
Fax Email
1
DR.MUKUL
SANGMA
CHIEFMINISTER
FINANCE
INDUSTRIES
PERSONNEL
PLANNING
PROGRAMME
IMPLEMENTATIONAND
EVALUATION
PUBLICWORKS
(BUILDINGS)
2224828
S2200
9863020523
2522752 2227913
2
SHRI.B.M.
LANONG
DEPUTYCHIEFMINISTER
ANIMALHUSBANDRYAND
VETERINARY
ARTSANDCULTURE
LAW
MININGANDGEOLOGY
REORGANISATION
SPORTSANDYOUTH
2222763
S2412
9436994670
2227898
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AFFAIRS
3
SHRI.ROWELL
LYNGDOH
DEPUTYCHIEFMINISTER
ADMINISTRATIVEREFORMS
HEALTHANDFAMILY
WELFARE
HOME(PASSPORT)
LABOUR
PARLIAMENTARYAFFAIRS
2224568
S2640
9436111005

4
SHRI.J.A.
LYNGDOH
MINISTER
ELECTION
PRINTINGAND
STATIONERY
SECRETARIAT
ADMINISTRATION
SOCIALWELFARE
2211250
S2694
9436103489
2548325
5
SHRI.A.T.
MONDAL
MINISTER
EXCISE
INFORMATIONANDPUBLIC
RELATIONS
POWER
TRANSPORT
2226953
S2663
9436161222

6 DR.R.C.LALOO
MINISTER
FORESTSAND
ENVIRONMENT
REVENUEANDDISASTER
MANAGEMENT
SERICULTUREAND
WEAVING
SOILANDWATER
CONSERVATION
2224576
S2644
9862088281
2501713
7
SHRI.P.
TYNSONG
MINISTER
GENERAL
ADMINISTRATION
MUNICIPAL
ADMINISTRATION
PUBLICHEALTH
ENGINEERING
SCIENCEAND
TECHNOLOGY
2224579
S2651
9863063357
2230085
8
SHRI.H.D.R.
LYNGDOH
MINISTER
DISTRICTCOUNCILAFFAIRS
HOME(POLICE)
PUBLICWORKS(ROADS)
2226543
S2242
9436104466

9 SHRI.F.W. MINISTER 22246024
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MOMIN COMMUNITYANDRURAL
DEVELOPMENT
COOPERATION
WATERRESOURCES
10
SHRI.
AUGUSTINED.
MARAK
MINISTER
FOODCIVILSUPPLIESAND
CONSUMERAFFAIRS
HOME(CIVILDEFENCEAND
HOMEGUARDS)
HOME(JAILS)
2224408
S2207
9436703581

11
SMTI.M.
AMPAREEN
LYNGDOH
MINISTER
EDUCATION(HIGHERAND
TECHNICAL)
EDUCATION(SCHOOL
EDUCATIONANDLITERACY)
TOURISM
2224570
S2645
9436100281
2537836
12
SHRI.FOUNDER
STRONGCAJEE
MINISTER
FISHERIES
URBANAFFAIRS
2224283
S2201
9615165285
2550840

Occupyinganareaof8,660sqmi(22,429sqkm),itisborderedbyBangladeshandAssamstate.
ItsfewurbancentresincludeShillong,itscapital.TheKhasi,thetribalhillpeopleofMeghalaya,
speakaMonKhmerlanguage.TheareacameundernominalBritishruleinthe19thcentury;it
was included in Assam and was made a separate state in 1972. Although it has vast mineral
resources,itseconomycentresonagriculture.
Itislocatedinthenortheasternpartofthecountry.ItisboundedbytheIndianstateofAssam
to the north and northeast and by Bangladesh to the south and southwest. The state capital is
thehilltownofShillong,locatedineastcentralMeghalaya.
Meghalayaalaya(abode)andmegha(oftheclouds)occupiesamountainousplateauof
greatscenicbeauty.Itbecameastatein1972.Area8,660squaremiles(22,429squarekm).Pop.
(2008est.)2,536,000.
Land
Meghalaya is an upland area formed by a detached block of the Deccan plateau. Its summits
varyinelevationfrom4,000to6,000feet(1,220to1,830metres).TheGaroHillsinthewestrise
abruptly from the Brahmaputra River valley to about 1,000 feet (300 metres) and then merge
with the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, adjacent highland systems that form a single massif of
tablelandsseparatedbyaseriesofeastwardtrendingridges.Thesouthernfacesoftheplateau,
overlookingtheBangladeshlowlands,isparticularlysteep.Manyriversandstreamsflowoutof
the plateau, creating deep, narrow, steepsided valleys; the most important is the Umiam
Barapani,whichisthemajorsourceofhydroelectricpowerforAssamandMeghalayastates.
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Climate
TheclimateofMeghalayaisgenerallymild.InAugustthemeantemperatureatShillong(inthe
Khasi Hills) is in the low 70s F (about 2123 C); it falls to the upper 40s F (about 810 C) in
January.
One of the worlds wettest regions is found in MeghalayaCherrapunji, which has an average
annual precipitation of about 450 inches (11,430 mm) during monsoon season (from May to
September). (Rainfall at Cherrapunji may be exceeded, however, by that at Mawsynram, a
village directly west of Cherrapunji, where rainfall totals of some 700 inches [17,800 mm] per
year have been recorded.) Annual rainfall in Shillong, only about 50 miles (80 km) from
Cherrapunji,isabout90inches(2,290mm).Duringthewintermonths(DecembertoFebruary),
theclimateisrelativelydry.
Plantandanimallife
Meghalayaisblanketedinlushforests,andpines,sals,andbambooareplentiful.Otherspecies
includeoak,birch,beech,andmagnolia.Elephants,tigers,leopards,deer,wildpigs,gaurs(wild
bison),mithan(orgayals,thedomesticatedformofthegaur),wolves,anteaters,monkeys,apes,
squirrels,snakes,hares,andsambardeerareallfoundinthestate.Birdsin Meghalayainclude
peacocks,partridges,pigeons,hornbills,junglefowls,mynas,andparrots.
People
Most of the inhabitants of Meghalaya are TibetoBurman (Garos) or MonKhmer (Khasis) in
origin,andtheirlanguagesanddialectsbelongtothesegroups.TheKhasisaretheonlypeople
inIndiawhospeakaMonKhmerlanguage.KhasiandGaroalongwithJaintiaandEnglisharethe
statesofficiallanguages;otherlanguagesspokeninthestateincludePnarSynteng,Nepali,and
Haijong,aswellastheplainslanguagesofBengali,Assamese,andHindi.
Christianity, Hinduism, and animistic forms of Hinduism are the major religions in the area.
TherearealsoasmallminorityofMuslimsandevensmallergroupsofBuddhistsandSikhs.
The population is predominantly rural, and few towns exist in the state. Shillong is the largest
town; other urban centres, listed in descending order of population, include Tura, Mawlai,
Nongthymmai,andJowai.
Agriculture
Agricultureisthedominanteconomicactivityofthestate.ThemaincropsgrowninMeghalaya
are rice, millet, corn (maize), potatoes, pepper, chilies, cotton, ginger, jute, betel nuts, fruits
(including oranges and mangoes), and vegetables. Communal land ownership is common, but
jhum(shiftingcultivation)haserodedthesoil.
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Resourcesandpower
Meghalaya has abundant but untapped natural resources, including coal, limestone, kaolin,
feldspar,quartz,mica,gypsum,bauxite,andotherminerals.Itssillimanitedeposits(asourceof
highgradeceramicclay)arereputedlythebestintheworldandaccountforalmostallofIndias
sillimanite output. Electricity is produced through several hydroelectric power plants in the
state;however,duringtimeswhenrainfallisscarce,powermustbeimported.
Manufacturing
Meghalaya has no heavy industries; smallscale industries include the manufacture of cement,
plywood,andfoodstuffs.
Transportation
Internal communications are poor, and many areas remain isolated. There are no railways in
Meghalaya. A national highway runs through the state from Guwahati (Assam) in the north to
Karimganj(Assam)inthesouth.Shillongisservedbyadomesticairlinehandlingshorthaul,low
capacityroutesatUmroi,about18miles(30km)fromShillong; andin2008anairportopened
atTura,inthewesternpartofthestate.
Constitutionalframework
LikeotherstatesoftheIndianunion,Meghalayahasagovernor,appointedbythepresidentof
India.ACouncilofMinisters,headedbyachiefminister,isappointedfromanelectedLegislative
Assembly(VidhanSabha).MeghalayafallsunderthejurisdictionoftheHighCourtinGuwahati,
Assam.Thestatehassevenadministrativedistricts.
Health,welfare,andeducation
The state is one of the most underdeveloped in India. About threefifths of the people are
literate. The NorthEastern Hill University, at Shillong, is the states only institution of higher
education.The1947partitionofthesubcontinentdisruptedthetribalpopulations;sometribes
foundthemselvesdividedbythenewinternationalfrontier,andthisresultedintribalmigrations
fromEastPakistan(nowBangladesh)toIndia.
Culturallife
Meghalaya is rich in tribal culture and folklore. Drinking and dancing to the accompaniment of
music from singas (buffalo horns), bamboo flutes, and drums are integral parts of religious
ceremoniesandsocialfunctions.Marriagesareexogamous.However,theadventofChristianity
in the mid19th century, along with its strict morality, disrupted many of the tribal and
communalinstitutions.
AcuriouscustomamongtheGarosisthataftermarriagetheyoungestsoninlawgoestolivein
hiswifesparentshouseandbecomeshisfatherinlawsnokrom,orclanrepresentativeinthe
motherinlawsfamily.Ifthefatherinlawdies,thenokrommarries(andthemarriagehastobe
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consummated) the widowed motherinlaw, thus becoming the husband of both mother and
daughter. The custom has been falling into disuse. The Khasis formerly practiced human
sacrifice.
History
Apart from accounts of the more important Khasi kingdoms in the chronicles of the
neighbouringAhomsandKacharis,littleisknownofMeghalayapriortotheBritishperiod.Inthe
early19thcentury,however,theBritishdesiretobuildaroadthroughtheregiontolinkBengal
and Assam led to a treaty (1827) with the ruler (syiem) of the Khasi principality of Nonkhlaw.
Opponents of the treaty persuaded the syiem to repudiate it in 1829, and a subsequent attack
on the British led inevitably to British military operations against the Khasis. By the mid1830s,
mostofthelocalrulershadsubmittedtotheBritish.Forthenextcentury,theBritishexercised
political control over the area, then known as the Garrows and Cossiya (Khasi) States, but the
tribes,lefttothemselves,wereabletopreservetheirtraditionalwayoflifeinseclusion.
In1947therulersoftheregionaccededtothenewlyindependentcountryofIndia.Indiasfirst
primeminister,JawaharlalNehru,evolvedapolicytopreserveandprotectthewayoflifeofthe
tribal peoples. Along with other tribal areas, the region was given special protection in the
Indian constitution, and, though included within the state of Assam, it retained a great deal of
autonomy.
When Assamese became the states official language in 1960, agitation for autonomy and self
rule gathered strength. Unlike in many other hill regions in northeastern India, this movement
waslargelypeacefulandconstitutional.Meghalayawascreatedasanautonomousstatewithin
Assamin1970andachievedfullstatehoodonJan.21,1972.
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