Shillong in Meghalaya generated an estimated 3.66 lakh jobs between 2019 and 2025, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told the Assembly on Monday.
Responding to the debate on the Governor’s address, Sangma said agriculture accounted for the largest share with 1.90 lakh jobs, driven by initiatives such as flower farming, mushroom farming, fruit growing, organic farming and Lakadung Mission.
“Every district has benefited,” the Prime Minister said, highlighting employment opportunities in organic farming in West Garo Hills, Ri Bhoi and East Khasi Hills.
The hospitality sector added 12,683 jobs, transportation 9,835 and manufacturing and recycling 24,926, he said, citing the KLEMS-based employment assessment prepared using the Reserve Bank of India’s methodology.
KLEMS-Based Employment Evaluation is an analytical framework that estimates employment trends by evaluating labor inputs within the broader context of factors of production: capital, labour, energy, materials, and services. It is primarily used to measure industry-level productivity and economic growth by analyzing how efficiently these inputs are used to produce goods and services, with employment figures serving as the main input into this modeling framework.
Sangma added that the state’s flagship schemes have also contributed to expanding livelihood opportunities, with about 10,000 people supported under the YES Meghalaya programme, 11,050 under Aqua Mission, nearly 1.7 lakh under the CM-CARE program and 9,000 under the PRIME programme, touching “nearly 8 lakh people” of beneficiaries overall.
“It’s hard to please everyone, but we’re trying,” he said.
Regarding wages, the Prime Minister said that the minimum wage in Meghalaya is $525 is the second highest in the country after Karnataka $581 and highest in the northeast.
“This reflects the government’s intention to support the poorest of the poor in the most effective ways possible,” he added.
Sangma also claimed that Meghalaya is now the second fastest growing economy in the country with a real growth rate of 9.66 per cent, behind Tamil Nadu’s 11.91 per cent, adding that the state has maintained an average growth of around 10 per cent over the past three years. The government is targeting GSDP $85,000 crore, or nearly $10 billion economy.
He acknowledged that GDP per capita was still low, but said Meghalaya had moved from 28th in 2019 to 26th currently, attributing the slow gains partly to a population growth rate of 0.95 per cent.
“Per capita GDP growth in Meghalaya, we are ranked fifth in the country between 2019-2025,” he said, adding that overall living standards have improved compared to 2018.
Highlighting the policy initiatives, Sangma said the state adopted the state anthem and symbols after 50 years, revived old projects like the Crowborough Hotel, and took up construction of a new association building, linking these developments to the broader economic momentum measured under the RBI’s Employment and Energy Services Framework.
Regarding support for local contractors, he said that while large tenders follow central guidelines, smaller works are directed to local operators, with spending rising from $454 Crore in 2019 to $1,286 crores at present.
“Triple jump to ensure small contractors can take care of their livelihood,” he said.
The Prime Minister also announced that the government plans to build homes for families too poor to afford land, saying the move is aimed at ensuring “the poorest of the poor are not left behind”, especially as major infrastructure projects reshape Shillong.
This article was generated from an automated news feed without any modifications to the text.
