meghalaya state – Meghalaya PCS Free Notes

Minerals in Meghalaya

January 15, 2018October 26, 2024 by rawan239

Minerals in Meghalaya

Meghalaya is endowed with sizeable deposits of a number of valuable minerals. Coal, limestone, uranium, granite, kaolin, clay and glass sand are the principal minerals. A brief account of mineral resources is as follows:

Limestone

An extensive bed of limestone occurs in the Southern part of the State from Jaintia Hills in the East and Garo Hills in the West. The main deposits are found around Cherrapunjee, Mawlong, Ichamati, Shella, Komorrah in the East Khasi Hills district; Borsora and Bagli in the West Khasi Hills district; Lakadong, Lumshnong and Nongkhlieh in the Jaintia Hills district; and Darrang Era-aning, Siju, Chokpot in the South Garo Hills district.

Coal

Most of the coal reserves in Meghalaya are tertiary reserves.Coal occurs in Mikir Hills, Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Garo Hills districts. The production of upgraded coal was reported by private non-captive mines in the unorganised sector located in these areas except Mikir Hills district. The mines are operated mostly by the local tribals in their private lands.

Uranium reserves in Meghalaya

Meghalaya is the third uranium rich state in the country after Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh. The state accounts for 16 per cent of Indias uranium reserves, with deposits estimated to be around 9,500 tones and 4,000 tones respectively at Domiasiat and Wakhyn, both in West Khasi hills region. Minerals in Meghalaya

Kyelleng-Pyndengsohiong, Mawthabah (KPM) uranium mining project is located in the West Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya state in the North East region of India. Formerly this project was also known as Domiasiat uranium mining project. The Atomic Mineral Directorate for Exploration and Research in 1972 found evidences of uranium deposits in the area which was confirmed by 1996 after intensive drilling between 1992 and 1996. Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) proposes to mine it using open pit mining method up to a depth of 45 m. The processing plant will be constructed at Mawthabah. It is estimated that KPM deposit in Meghalaya will last for 25 years.

Clay

Clay of various types such as Kaolin (China clay), white clay, and fire clay are found in various parts of the states. These clay are suitable for the ceramic, paper, rubber and refractory industries. It has been estimated that there are a few hundred million tonnes of clay reserved in the state.

Granite reserves

Deposits of multi-coloured granite have been located around nongpoh in the Ri-Bhoi district, mylliem in the east khasi hills district; mawkyrwat and nongstoin in the west khasi hills distric.

Sand deposits

The sand deposits of the State are mainly concentrated in Khasi hills. The glass deposits of Laitryn grew coal field and around Shillong are found to be suitable for manufacturing of ordinary bottle glasrs, window glass etc. and with some chemical pu rification even for sheet glass and flint glass. Some of the sands are within the specifica tion o f foundry sands, which are now in great demand in the country. The estimated reserve of glass deposits is about 2.30 m illion tonnes as against Tripura – 0.18 m illion tones.

Feldspar and quartz occur near Tura in Garo hills and near Hahim in Khasi Hills. The estimated mining reserve of feldspar in the State (0.02 million tonnes) is at par with Assam (0.02 million tonne),2 3456 while the quartz is 2.03 m illion tonnes as compared to Tripura – 0.19 million tonnes.

Massive sillimanite associated with corrundum occurs in Khasi hills . More than 2i deposits have been located in the vicinity of Sonapahar, Nongpur and Nongbain villages and are worked by the Assam Sillimanite Ltd. Most of the deposits contain sillimanite with admixed corrundum to a little extent, one or two entirely of corrundum and several of sillimanite only.

Fishing in Meghalaya

January 15, 2018October 17, 2024 by rawan239

Fishing in Meghalaya

Meghalaya, with its vast inland fishery resources in the form of rivers, reservoirs, lakes and ponds and an average rainfall of 1200 mm, offers tremendous scope for developing the fisheries sector, but lags behind in harnessing the potential of these natural resources. The available land in most parts of Meghalaya is uneven in terrain which makes it somewhat difficult to develop fisheries on commercial lines. However, rain water can be impounded in small ponds for the production of fish and inland fisheries therefore, offering a potential that can be successfully exploited by the people of the state. Furthermore, creation of additional water area for fish culture will lead to a transformation in the rural economy and improve the livelihoods of the poor tremendously.

The Government of Meghalaya has identified fisheries as a key sector and decided to assist the people to develop fish ponds. It has launched the Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission (MSAM) co-terminus with the Twelfth Five Year Plan period (20 12-13 to 20 16-17).

Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission (MSAM)

The Aquaculture Mission is divided into six Mini Missions for better focus and ease of implementation. Mini Mission I is related to “Area and Productivity Expansion”, which will be achieved through four sub components, viz., individual pond construction, community pond construction, development of marshy and swampy areas and bheels and reservoir fishery development. Mini Mission II is for “Critical infrastructure development”, which has five components: fish seed production, fish feed production, fish disease management, pre and post harvesting infrastructure and creation and strengthening of fishery and multi-purpose cooperatives. Fish seed production will be achieved through Government and private hatcheries and utilizing FRP technology as also inducting Israeli technology.

Establishing sanctuaries for conserving indigenous and endemic species of fish is the focus of Mini Mission III. Surveys for identifying the endangered species, orientation workshops and media campaigns will be organised under the Mission. The Mission will collaborate with the Department of Tourism for boosting the objectives and targets of the Mission related to Mahaseer and other native species conservation. Mini Mission IV is for “Capacity Building” of farmers as well as officials, programme managers, multi-service providers, co-operators, etc. Mass mobilization campaigns and skill trainings for unemployed youth will be organised under this mini mission. Mini Mission V is titled “Mass media campaigns, documentation and outreach”, which will take care of two important activities, viz., awareness building about the Mission and publicity among the public and process documentation of the implementation and preparation of success stories.

Mini Mission VI deals with “Emerging opportunities in the fisheries sector”, which is an exclusive visionary component envisaged for tapping the emerging opportunities and addressing them with scientific backstopping. Ornamental fisheries, trout farming, introduction of freshwater prawn culture and new table species of fish and aqua tourism/ aqua parks/ sport fisheries will be the components under this mini mission.

Other Initiatives

Water development

The Department of agriculture has given emphasis in utilizing micro-watershed irrigation projects towards development of fisheries to optimize production of fishes from such rain water harvesting projects. Training and demonstration has been disseminated at the fisheries training institute to villagers 12 Small Reservoirs Multipurpose Development Projects and other communities who own these watershed project for utilizing modern technologies and identification of fish species which are suitable for culturing in these small reservoir. Fishing in Meghalaya

Sustainable diversification

Fish species diversification is a common practice by the fish farmer of the state and has been carried out in an extensive way with or without any assistance from the Government. It has been noted that this has helped the farmer particularly in Ri Bhoi District and in Garo hills District having the favourable climatic condition that culture of Air breathing fishes as other minor carps like Labio Gonious, Labio Bata, Cirhinus Cirhosa and others have improved the livelihood condition of the farmer in these regions.

Seeds

Seeds are the major requirement by the fish farmer of the state. Since time immemorial the state is dependent on neighbouring state of Assam and West Bengal and this is a major drawback as the seeds supplied are not upto the desired quality. Looking into this sector with serious concern the state fisheries Department during the 12th Plan period has established 12 nos. of Circular Eco-Hatcheries and 14 nos. of FRP hatcheries to augment fish seed production and to supply good quality seeds to the fish farmers. These hatcheries have been established in the private sector with 60% subsidy to the total unit cost. Further, under the funding of RKVY and NFDB schemes the Department is able to upgrade several Departmental fish farms which will serve the purpose of producing quality seeds in the state. The problem encountered in this field is the high mortality during fry stage which ultimately leads to low production of fingerling stage.

Livestock and fishery

The state has so far developed an approximate area of about 2500 hectare to support fish culture and production form individual as well as community fishery project. An approximate 8000 MT of fishes is being locally produced and consumed. Apart from this the state also has various fishery resources in the form of rivers and lakes which offers tremendous scope for developing the fishery sector but harnessing the potential of these natural resources is a major problem. The topography of the region makes it somewhat difficult to develop fishery on a commercial line. However rain water is being impounded through development of Rain water harvesting structures and small ponds for the production of fishes in the state. There are number of bheels and wetland in the plain areas of Garo Hills that have great potentiality for increasing the fish production.

Research and Extension

The State Department has one Research and Training Institute which carries out Extension and Training to Fish farmers as well as Fishery Supervisors and Demonstrators. However, various problems arise due to the absence of advance instruments in detecting and to carry out research in fish diseases. It is suggested that the State should have mobile laboratories so that analysis of water and soil may be carried out at the village level to upgrade and to standardize fish culture for optimum growth and production. One laboratory is also required for Fish disease management and Research and Analysis Unit for identification of Fish Genetics.

Main Features of budgets of Meghalaya

October 28, 2017October 5, 2024 by rawan239

MEGHALAYA BUDGET 2017-18

The year 2016-17 was marked by two major national policy developments. Firstly, the passage of the Constitutional amendment, paving the way for introduction of the transformational Goods and Services Tax (GST), the objective of which is creating a common Indian market, improve tax compliance and governance and boost investment and growth. Secondly, the demonetization of the two highest denomination notes in the country.

During the year 2015 – 16, the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at Current Market price was Rs 26,745 crore, as per the quick estimates, which shows an increase of 9.58% over the previous year. The advance estimates indicate that the GSDP for 2016-17 is Rs 29,566 crore, an increase of 10.55 % over 2015-16. The growth of the tertiary sector is registered at 11.93%, the secondary sector at 9.38% and the primary sector at 7.51% over the year 2015-16. The per capita income of the State at current price for the year 2016 – 17 stands at Rs 88,497 as per the advance estimates as against Rs 81,498 in the year 2015-16 showing an increase of about 8.26%.

Several initiatives have been taken up with a view to accelerating growth, providing ecologically sustainable livelihoods and inclusive development, reducing intra – State variations, improving connectivity, bridging infrastructure gaps, promoting human capital development and building skills, tapping emerging opportunities in border trade and market access development etc. I am happy to inform this august House that on several counts, we have been able to make substantial progress as in case of investments in Major District Roads and State Highways, improvement of critical feeders, replacement of semi-timber bridges, internal village connectivity including construction of missing culverts, Black Topping of Rural Roads Schemes (BTRRS), lay bye markets, modernization of rural markets, opening of first ever railhead in Meghalaya, launching of the Meghalaya Health Insurance Scheme, construction of hostels for rural students, Mission Green, Integrated Water Resource Management, Women Economic Empowerment through Financial Inclusion, etc.

Tax Proposals

Revise excise duty in various segments of Beer, IMFL/Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) and different categories of IMFL products.
Revise the license fee for various categories of bonded warehouses.
Reduce export fee for IMFL products to give a boost to export of IMFL.
Revise the license fee for “OFF” retail licenses and various types of bar licenses.
Revise the fee for compounding and blending, reduction and bottling, distillery and brewery.
Revise upward the VAT on liquor.
Revise the late closing fees for hotels, restaurants and bars.
Increase the rate of tax across all slabs under the Meghalaya Passengers and Goods Tax Act.
Rationalize the tax structure on cigarettes and bidis.

Law and Order:

The staffing strength of police stations and outposts was increased; the first batch of SF-10 battalion, that passed out in October 2016, have been pressed into anti-militancy operations; additional resources in terms of trained personnel, suitable weaponry, effective communication equipments etc. were provided; intelligence collection was strengthened; additional Central Paramilitary Forces were mobilised; a Cyber Crime police station to handle cyber related crimes has been set up; new developmental initiatives with involvement of local communities as stakeholders were undertaken; investments were made on improving the road infrastructure and highway patrols have been introduced in all the highways

Agriculture and Allied Sectors:

Agriculture, being the key to rural prosperity and food security, will continue to play a significant role in the economy of the State. The focus of the Government is on increasing the production and productivity of foodgrains through better cultivation techniques, capacity building and improving water and moisture availability. Latest technical know-how through various schemes such as State Rice Mission (SRM), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture (NMSA) and other schemes has been put in place and efforts are on to bring fallow lands under other winter crops to augment the incomes of the farmers. The sector has done the State proud by earning national recognition and the highest accolades as the Best Performing State in the form of the ‘Krishi Karman Awards’ for the last three consecutive years for its initiatives and excellent performance in food grains production in individual crops of rice, wheat, pulses and coarse cereals.

The ‘Mission Organic’ continues to focus on promoting organic farming, helping the farmers to tap the growing organic market. Continuous efforts are being made to popularize ‘bio-fertilizers, compost making’ and ‘bio-control practices’ for plant health management and these efforts are being scaled up through the establishment of village level community managed bio fertilizers and bio agent production units, in collaboration with IBDLP and MGNREGS.

Fisheries

An investment of Rs 186 crore under the Meghalaya State Aquaculture Mission (MSAM) has resulted in the development of 20,338 individual fish ponds, 26 hatcheries, 49 sanctuaries and 3 feed mills in the last 4 years of its implementation.

Sericulture and Weaving

Under the North Eastern Region Textile Promotion Schemes (NERTPS) for both sericulture and handloom sectors, funds to benefit 1,000 sericulture farmers under the Intensive Bivoltine Sericulture Development Project (IBSDP) and 2,300 sericulture farmers for Integrated Sericulture Development Project (ISDP), including 72 handloom clusters, have already been approved. Funds have also been approved for Block Level Clusters under the National Handloom Development Programme (NHDP).

Soil and Water Conservation:

At present, 84 projects under the Integrated Watershed Management Programmes (IWMP) are being implemented under this approach. The Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme with 42 projects will continue to be implemented in 2017-18 to encourage multi cropping activities and scientific conservation of water resources, with a focus on coordinated land development in river valleys.

Young people registered as Green and Social Volunteers have rallied around the “GRAMODAYA” or “Rise of the Village initiative”, a statewide mega-football event that is the largest grassroots level football tournament with a total of 712 matches across 178 sub-watersheds in all the 11 districts. This initiative seeks to bring together people from all walks of life in rural Meghalaya on to a common platform to celebrate rural life and the spirit of oneness.

Housing:

Under the “Chief Minister’s Housing Assistance Programme”, three bundles of roofing materials will be provided for the Economically Weaker Section and an assistance for dwelling houses will be provided to the Lower Income Group families.

A development outlay of ` 60 crore is proposed for this sector in 2017-18

Urban Development:

The major projects which are likely to be completed soon, are the Multi Purpose Utility Centre at Mawkhar, construction of additional 112 dwelling units at Nongmynsong, Solid Waste Management Project at Tura and Nongpoh, Short Term Scientific landfill Site Work at Marten, Shillong and Solid Waste Management Programme in the Greater Shillong Planning Area covering areas outside the Shillong Municipal jurisdiction.

The major projects in which works are in good progress are Augmentation of Public Transport in Shillong, Construction of Ancillary Infrastructure (Depot) for 240 additional buses at Mawiong and Upper Shillong, Improvement of Road within Mairang Town and Nongpoh Town, Construction of RCC Bridge to connect Gangdrak Dare at Tura, Construction of Road from Shamshan Ghat to Reservegittim at Tura, Road Network Project in New Shillong Township and Construction of Parking Cum- Commercial facility near Inter District Bus Terminus at Akhonggre.

Under the Swachh Bharat Mission, 10 statutory towns have been selected and beneficiaries have been identified to take up work on construction of individual household toilets, community toilet as well as improvement of solid waste management in the towns. The Government has also initiated works on up-gradation of Shillong under the Smart Cities Mission of Government of India.

Health and Family Welfare:

The Government had proposed to set up two medical colleges, with a view to bridge the shortage of doctors and health functionaries in the State. Setting up of the Medical College in PPP mode at Shillong will commence once the existing T.B Hospital is shifted to the new site at New Shillong Township. The land for another proposed Government Medical College at Tura has been donated by the people and the same will be taken up with the Government of India for funding support. The construction of the Cancer Wing in the Shillong Civil Hospital is in advanced stage and will benefit the cancer patients in the State.

To promote cleanliness, hygiene and infection control practices in public health care facilities and to inculcate a behavior related to clean environment, the State Health Facilities are participating in the KAYAKALP competition and received Awards under the Scheme.

Education:

To help students conquer the challenge of learning science and mathematics at an early age, the Government had initiated the Jodo-Gyan project, which would be rolled out to more districts in 2017-18. The mid day meal will also continue to be served at all primary and upper primary schools to encourage students to stay in school.

The “Supporting Human Capital Development project” has progressed well with infrastructural work progressing at rapid pace. The bidding process for teachers training, ICT classrooms and furniture has also been initiated. A total of 117 aided schools would benefit directly from the project.

Meghalaya Tax and economic reforms

October 28, 2017September 29, 2024 by rawan239

Meghalaya Goods and Service Tax:

The Meghalaya government introduced in the state assembly, the Meghalaya Goods and Services Tax Bill, 2017. GST will abolish all the taxation related disputes between the States and this will make Indian economy more strong. It was the highest tax reforms of state and centre as well.

The Meghalaya government demanded the following amendments —

The GST Council accepted that green arecanut will be tax-free while processed arecanut or ‘supari’ will be taxed at 5 per cent only. So is also the case with dry fish in which the Council has agreed to bring down the tax from 12 per cent to 5 per cent
The other issues Meghalaya government had demanded was the reduction from Rs 50,000 to Rs 10,000 where a purchaser is not required to give his details in the invoice.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a comprehensive indirect tax on manufacture, sale, and consumption of goods and services throughout India. GST would replace respective taxes levied by the central and state governments.

What is GST?

It is a destination-based taxation system.
It has been established by the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act.
It is an indirect tax for the whole country on the lines of “One Nation One Tax” to make India a unified market.
It is a single tax on supply of Goods and Services in its entire product cycle or life cycle i.e. from manufacturer to the consumer.
It is calculated only in the “Value addition” at any stage of a goods or services.
The final consumer will pay only his part of the tax and not the entire supply chain which was the case earlier.
There is a provision of GST Council to decide upon any matter related to GST whose chairman in the finance minister of India.

What taxes at center and state level are incorporated into the GST?

At the State Level

State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax
Entertainment Tax (Other than the tax levied by the local bodies)
Octroi and Entry Tax
Purchase Tax
Luxury Tax
Taxes on lottery, betting, and gambling

At the Central level

Central Excise Duty
Additional Excise Duty
Service Tax
Additional Customs Duty (Countervailing Duty)
Special Additional Duty of Customs

Benefits of GST

For Central and State Governments

Simple and Easy to administer: Because multiple indirect taxes at the central and state levels are being replaced by a single tax “GST”. Moreover, backed with a robust end to end IT system, it would be easier to administer.
Better control on leakage: Because of better tax compliance, reduction of rent seeking, transparency in taxation due to IT use, an inbuilt mechanism in the design of GST that would incentivize tax compliance by traders.
Higher revenue efficiency: Since the cost of collection will decrease along with an increase in the ease of compliance, it will lead to higher tax revenue.

For the Consumer

The single and transparent tax will provide a lowering of inflation.
Relief in overall tax burden.
Tax democracy that is luxury items will be taxed more and basic goods will be tax-free.

For the Business Class

Ease of doing business will increase due to easy tax compliance.
Uniformity of tax rate and structure, therefore, better future business decision making and investments by the corporates.
Removal of cascading effects of taxes.
Reduction in transactional cost will lead to improved competitiveness.
Gain to the manufacturer and exporters.
It is expected to raise the country GDP by 2% points.

GST Council

It is the 1st Federal Institution of India, as per the Finance minister.
It will approve all decision related to taxation in the country.
It consists of Centre, 29 states, Delhi and Puducherry.
Centre has 1/3rd voting rights and states have 2/3rd voting rights.
Decisions are taken after a majority in the council.

Supporting Laws to implement GST

For the implementation of GST, apart from the Constitution Amendment Act, some other statutes are also necessary. Recently 5 supporting laws to the GST were recommended by the council. 4 for the bills should be passed by the parliament, while the 5th one should be passed by respective state legislatures. The details are given below.

The Central Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The CGST Bill).
The Integrated Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The IGST Bill).
The Union Territory Goods and Services Tax Bill 2017 (The UTGST Bill).
The Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to the States) Bill 2017 (The Compensation Bill).
And a state GST will be passed by the respective state legislative assemblies.
Tax slabs are decided as 0%, 5%, 12%, 18%, 28% along with categories of exempted and zero rated goods for different types of goods and services.
Further, a cess would be levied on certain goods such as luxury cars, aerated drinks, pan masala and tobacco products, over and above the rate of 28% for payment of compensation to the States.
However, which goods and services fall into which bracket is still an enormous task to be completed by the GST council.
Highest tax slab is pegged at 40%.

DEMONETIZATION AND CASHLESS ECONOMY

What is Demonetization?

It is a financial step where in a currency unit’s status as a legal tender is declared invalid.
This is usually done when old currency notes are to be replaced with the news ones.
The 500 and 1000 rupee notes seized to be a legal tender from 8 November, 2016.

A brief past

Demonetisation was earlier done in 1978 When the government demonetised Rs. 1000, Rs. 5000 and Rs. 10000 notes.
This was done under the High Denomination Bank Note (Demonetisation) Act, 1978.
The difference between 1978 and 2016 Demonetisation is that the currency in circulation (of the higher denomination) is higher in 2016 than was in 1978.
The current demonitization has been done by government under section 26(2) of the Reserve Bank of India Act.

Implications of Demonetization

A parallel black economy would collapse.
Of the Rs 17 lakh crore of total currency in circulation in the country, black money is estimated at mind-boggling Rs 3 lakh crore.
Counterfeit currency: Death blow to the counterfeit Indian currency syndicate operating both inside and outside the country.
On Employment: a large part of the Indian economy is still outside the banking system. So, the cash shortage will hurt the informal sector that does most of its transactions in cash.
On elections: It will reduce the Vote-for-Note politics making elections more clean and transparent.
On Economy:
First, it will bring more borrowings to the exchequer, improve inflation outlook and increase India’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Second, it will revive investment opportunities and give a fillip to infrastructure and the manufacturing sector.
Third, it will help reduce interest rates and lower income tax rate.
Real estate cleansing: An unexpected dip in land and property prices.
On Higher Education: will become more reachable as the black money from ‘high capitation fees’ is discouraged.
On security:
Terror financing: Terror financing is sourced through counterfeit currency and hawala transactions.
Kashmir unrest: The four-month-long unrest in Kashmir valley is on a backburner
North-East insurgency and Maoists: Black money is the oxygen for Maoists collected through donations, levy and extortions. The illicit money is used to purchase arms and ammunition

Economic Reforms:

The basic objective of economic reforms was to improve productivity growth and competitiveness in the Indian manufacturing sector. These reforms were aimed at making Indian manufacturing sector more efficient and technologically up to date, with the expectation that these changes would enable Indian manufacturing sector to achieve higher and sustainable growth. The government started to deregulate the Indian economy with a liberalization programme, focused on the investment pattern, trade policies, the financial sector, taxation and public enterprises.

In recent times, Industrialization has become the catch word of the midtwentieth century and industrial development of the under developed countries or developing countries like India. One of the great world crusades of our times, the Less Developed Countries (LDCs) hope to find in it a solution their problems of poverty, insecurity, overpopulation, backwardness, illiteracy etc. They consider it a panacea for all the evils of their social and economic life. In fact, the essence of economic development of an LDC like India consists essentially in the growth of industrialization.

Realizing the importance of industrialization, once Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru rightly remarked, “Real progress must ultimately depend on industrialization”. His vision was to see India in the group of developed nations of the world and industrialization was the only key to restructure the economy and to achieve sustained growth. Indian economy is a basically an agriculture based economy. It has been evident from the experience of the most of advanced countries that growth based upon agriculture sector will not be sustainable growth.

After studying such behavior of terms of trade they made their belief that for the agriculture based economies terms of trade would always become unfavorable in long run because;

a) The income elasticity of export-goods of agricultural countries is low, while the income elasticity of import-goods is very high. As in case of domestic demand, the demand for agricultural products in other countries, in particular advance countries, is very low. In fact, developed countries have surpluses in agriculture products for exports. As against this, the demand for the import of manufactured goods by LDCs is very intense; and
b) With the advancement of technology, input-output coefficients are declining and most of primary products which were used as raw material are replaced by the industrial cheaper raw material.

On the other hand, if we develop only tertiary sector and ignore industrial sector then there may be tendency of inflation in the economy and this inflation may lead to deceleration economic growth. Therefore, industrialization is the only method to achieve sustained economic growth. Moreover, economic history demonstrates that to eliminate a country’s techno-economic backwardness it is necessary to develop the industrial sector and then to diversify it over a wide range of area and activities. Industrialization is a process of economic organization characterized by rapid setting up of industries and has invariably been the accompaniment of economic development. Nevertheless, economic development should not be treated synonymous with industrialization because industrialization is only a part of the whole process of economic development.

Some of the major initiatives taken by the government to promote Meghalaya as an investment destination are:

Under budget 2016-17, the state government proposed allocation of US$ 1.98 million for various art and cultural programs for the development, augmentation and preservation of cultural heritage of the state.
Under budget 2016-17, the state government proposed an allocation of US$ 103.42 million for development of education sector in the state.
Under the annual budget 2015-16, an investment of US$ 0.29 million has been approved by the Meghalaya State Medicinal Plants Board to increase the production of medicinal plants.
The state government has also proposed an outlay of US$ 32.13 million to improve power supply in the state and associated services, power losses in urban areas, etc., under the Restructured Accelerated Power Development and Reforms Programme.
An investment of US$ 3.98 million was proposed to be invested for the development of roads and bridges in the state and US$ 54.66 million was proposed for the improvement of the agriculture sector of the state under the 12th Five Year Plan (2012-2017).
The state is focusing on developing water harvesting and distribution infrastructure to increase the level of mechanisation in the horticulture sector.
Hydroelectric power projects with a total capacity of 687 MW have been proposed to be set up in Meghalaya. All these projects are projected to be operational by 2016-17.
The state government is inviting investments in this area through the PPP mode. Independent power producers (IPPs) are also being invited to develop hydro projects in Meghalaya; this provides immense potential for investment.

Population of Meghalaya

January 15, 2018September 13, 2024 by rawan239

Population of Meghalaya

As per details from Census 2011, Meghalaya has population of 29.67 Lakhs, an increase from figure of 23.19 Lakh in 2001 census. Total population of Meghalaya as per 2011 census is 2,966,889 of which male and female are 1,491,832 and 1,475,057 respectively. In 2001, total population was 2,318,822 in which males were 1,176,087 while females were 1,142,735.

The total population growth in this decade was 27.95 percent while in previous decade it was 29.94 percent. The population of Meghalaya forms 0.25 percent of India in 2011. In 2001, the figure was 0.23 percent.

Meghalaya Religious Data

Christianity is most popular religion in Meghalaya with 74.59 % of state population following the same. Hinduism is second most popular religion in Meghalaya state with 11.53 % following it. In Meghalaya state, Islam is followed by 4.40 %, Jainism by 0.02 %, Buddhism by 0.33 % and Sikhism by 0.10 %. Around 8.71 % stated ‘Other Religion’; approximately 0.32 % stated ‘No Particular Religion’.

Meghalaya Urban Population

Out of total population of Meghalaya, 20.07% people live in urban regions. The total figure of population living in urban areas is 595,450 of which 297,572 are males and while remaining 297,878 are females. The urban population in the last 10 years has increased by 20.07 percent.

Sex Ratio in urban regions of Meghalaya was 1001 females per 1000 males. For child (0-6) sex ratio the figure for urban region stood at 954 girls per 1000 boys. Total children (0-6 age) living in urban areas of Meghalaya were 77,944. Of total population in urban region, 13.09 % were children (0-6). Average Literacy rate in Meghalaya for Urban regions was 90.79 percent in which males were 92.46% literate while female literacy stood at 89.24%. Total literates in urban region of Meghalaya were 469,851.

Population density and growth rate of Meghalaya

The population density is 132 persons for each square kilometer. The aggregate population growth in this decade was 27.95% while in earlier decade it was 29.94%. The number of inhabitants in Meghalaya shapes 0.25% of India in 2011. In 2001, the figure was 0.23%. The population growth of the state has been higher than the national average in the most recent decade.

Rivers and drainage system of Meghalaya

January 15, 2018September 12, 2024 by rawan239

Rivers and drainage system of Meghalaya

One of the world’s wettest regions is found in Meghalaya. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji (Sohra) in the East Khasi Hills district are geographically considered as the rainiest places in the World. — Cherrapunji, which has an average annual precipitation of about 11,430 mm (450 inches) during monsoon season (from May to September) and Mawsynram, a village directly west of Cherrapunji, where rainfall of around 17,800 mm (700 inches) per year has been recorded. The area receives rainfall on an average for 160 days in a year, spread over 6 to 8 months from March to October.

Physiographically, Meghalaya represents a remanant of an ancient plateau of Pre-Cambrian Peninsular shield, block lifted to its present height and is referred as Meghalaya Plateau or as Shillong-Mikir massif. It is the detached northeastern extension of Indian Peninsular shield, part of which lies beneath the alluvium deposited by Ganga Brahmaputra system of rivers. The rivers of the State are rainfed and therefore their discharge dwindles during summer. Important rivers in Garo Hills region are Daring, Sanda, Bugi, Dareng and Simsang. In the central and eastern part of the plateau are Umkhri, Digaru, Umngot and Myntdu rivers.

The surface water resource is tapped in a number of places by constructing dams across the rivers. The reservoirs, like the Umium and Kopili, so developed are not only used for irrigation and drinking water but also for generating electricity. Inspite of this, the area experiences shortage of water during the summer resulting in crisis for drinking water. This is mainly due to topographical and geomorphological conditions apart from alterations of the natural land surface by way of development, mining and urbanization.

Moreover, the characteristic hilly and steep sloping terrain condition in the area with localized small valleys results in very high surface run-off during the monsoon.

Some of the important rivers of Meghalaya are as follows:

Digaru

Digaru is a river originating in the Garo-Khasi hills of Meghalaya state in India, flowing towards the northeast and then meeting the Kolong river and then merging with the Brahmaputra river. The name Digaru originated from a Kachari/Mech word ‘Di’ which means water and ‘Garo’ means the people living in the Garo hills. Hence Digaru literally means “water of the Garo”.

Kopili River

The Kopili originates in the Meghalaya plateau and flows through southern Assam before its confluence with the Brahmaputra. In Assam it drains the districts of Karbi Anglong, Dima Hasao, Kamrup and Rivers and drainage system of Meghalaya Nagaon. The river flows for a total length of 290 kilometres (180 mi) and has a catchment area of 16,420 square kilometres (6,340 sq mi). It is noted for several spectacular waterfalls along its course which has several deep gorges and rapids in the 120 kilometres (75 mi) of its flow before debouching into the plains at Nagaon district.

Myntdu River

Myntdu River is one of the major water bodies in Jaintia Hills District, Meghalaya, locally known as ‘ka Tawiar ka Takan’ (Our Guardian Angel) in the Pnar dialect. It is a blessing to the residents of the town of Jowai and adjacent places. Its abundant water is used to irrigate the Myntdu Valley, located on the outskirts of Jowai town. The river, originating at 1,420 metres (4,660 ft) above sea level, is fit for hydro-power development.

The river flows across Jowai, and then through Leshka (where a Hydro Project Dam is being constructed) to reach a village Borghat, within Jaintia Hills, before finally entering Bangladesh, where it is locally called ‘Shari’.

Piyain River

Piyain River a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. It is a tributary of the Surma river, which is originates from the Umgat river of Assam. The river enters Bangladesh through Sylhet district. The length of the river is 145 km. Piyain river has emerged from the river om or Umagat river or Assam.

Someshwari River

Someshwari River, known as Simsang River in the Indian state of Meghalaya, is a major river in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya and Netrakona District of Bangladesh. It divides the Garo Hills into two parts.