Meghalaya has been honoured as a jury favourite at the 8th Creative Bureaucracy Festival held in Berlin on Thursday for its approach to maternal and infant health through grassroots governance.
The recognition celebrates Meghalaya’s approach that has halved maternal deaths in the state between 2021 and 2023, despite challenges such as remote terrain and over 6,000 scattered villages.
In a post on X today, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said, “Meghalaya’s innovative approach to governance and maternal health has been honoured as a jury favourite at the Creative Bureaucracy Festival in Berlin, June 2025. This recognition is more than just an award, it’s a powerful reminder of what’s possible when government leadership works hand-in-hand with committed grassroots networks. Together, we’ve shown that meaningful change begins when people come first. There’s still a long journey ahead toward achieving zero maternal and infant mortality, but moments and recognitions like these reaffirm that we are on the right path! Onward, Team Meghalaya!”
The Creative Bureaucracy Festival, organised by the Falling Walls Foundation, brings together over 2,000 global changemakers from 30-plus countries and showcases bold innovations in public administration.
Meghalaya’s story was highlighted among over 180 international entries as a model of how community-led action can drive large-scale public health outcomes.
Faced with long-standing maternal health challenges, Meghalaya shifted from top-down mandates to grassroots empowerment. It established cross-sector teams at all levels, empowered village health councils, and encouraged local problem-solving. One such innovation led to the creation of citizen-run transit homes near health centres, enabling pregnant women in remote areas to safely reach facilities in time for childbirth.
Festival organisers commended Meghalaya for “demonstrating how meaningful systems change happens when citizens and state work as co-creators of solutions.”
With its philosophy of moving from a “No, because” to a “Yes, if” approach to governance, the festival aims to inspire a new generation of public servants.
