Shillong, Aug 24: The state government introduced a series of government bills on the first day of the Autumn Session of the Meghalaya Assembly, covering forest administration, money lending, public services, official languages and higher education.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma introduced the Meghalaya Official Language Bill 2026. This seeks to replace the Meghalaya Official Language Ordinance promulgated by the Governor on April 27, following the repeal of the Meghalaya State Language Act 2005. This will pave the way for Khasi and Garo to be recognised as official languages of Meghalaya alongside English, replacing the existing framework under which Khasi and Garo have only been recognised as associate official languages for limited use.
Sangma, who holds the Forests and Environment portfolio, also introduced the Meghalaya Forest Authority (Amendment) Bill 2026. The proposed amendment seeks to operationalise the Meghalaya Forest Authority Act 1991 by providing for grants from the state government and the creation of a dedicated Meghalaya Forest Authority Fund.
Another piece of legislation introduced was the Meghalaya Money Lenders and Accredited Loan Providers’ Bill 2026, which seeks to replace the existing Meghalaya Money Lender Act, which is an adaptation of the Assam Money Lenders Act of 1934. The proposed legislation follows recommendations of a technical group constituted by the Reserve Bank of India, which had called for a review of the existing money-lending legislation in the state.
The CM also introduced the Meghalaya Right to Public Services (Amendment) Bill 2026. The Bill proposes an automatic appeal mechanism for applications submitted through notified electronic systems where no decision is taken within the prescribed time.
Under the proposed amendments, appeals can be automatically generated and electronically transmitted to facilitate the statutory appellate process. The government has clarified that the mechanism will not amount to deemed approval and will not alter the existing statutory rights of applicants or the responsibilities of designated officers and appellate authorities.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui introduced several bills concerning private universities in the state, including the repeal of the International Open University Act 2011. The government cited the lack of progress in establishing the university, failure to deposit the required endowment fund and disputes among the sponsors and trustees as reasons for repealing the act.
Bills were also tabled to create the Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian University and the Sister Nivedita University and others to amend the administration of Mahatma Gandhi University, Martin Luther Christian University and Maharashtra Institute of Technology University of Meghalaya.
