Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Thursday hoisted the national flag at Polo ground, Shillong and took the Rashtriya Salute of the marching contingents on the occasion of 78th Independence Day celebration.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said Meghalaya in the 10-year period of 2022 to 2032 would see emergence of Meghalaya as one of India’s Top 10 states in GDP per capita income and achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
Sharing his dream, Sangma said the State aims to create a Meghalayan Decade within the Meghalayan Age. He further added that the Meghalaya of 2032 is not just the Government’s 10-year target, but it is a vision for the collective future and for which he released a vision document for Meghalaya at 60.
This document is now in the public domain for citizens to offer their views and share their aspirations for Meghalaya in 2032. On the law and order front, the CM said the law-and-order situation in the State was peaceful throughout the year. He said, there is progress on the resolution of the interstate border dispute with Assam. Further, the CM informed that there were successfully evacuated Meghalayan students and workers from Bangladesh in wake of the recent crisis.
About the new law, Conrad Sangma said the state has applied the newly promulgated Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam to the courts of Meghalaya. However, the Autonomous District Council Courts will continue to function under the provision of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
The names for Police Medal for Meritorious Service to Dr Sacheng R Marak, Assistant Inspector General of Police (A) and Shri Anil Kumar Singh, Havildar, and Fire Service Medal for Meritorious Service to Shri Raju Ram Rabha, Handyman Fire and Emergency Service and Shri Bhupesh Ch Hajong, Sub Officer were announced during the day.
Further on the occasion, Home Guards & Civil Defence Medals for Meritorious Service were awarded to two Home Guards personnel. They are Shri Ram Charles Lamare, Havildar from Central Training Institute, Civil Defence & Home Guards and Shri Prafulla Basumatary, Havildar from the Border Wing Home Guards Battalion. Shri M K Sangma, Joint Director of Civil Defence, Shri R P Khongwar, Joint Commandant General of Home Guards and 13 other personnel were awarded the Director General, Civil Defence & Home Guards, Meghalaya Disc & Commendation Certificates.
48 Scholars under the Chief Minister’s Research Grant (CMRG) who are undertaking quality research and documentation in various areas of interest that concern the state of Meghalaya with particular focus areas in the field of Arts & Culture, heritage studies and aspect that seek to study, document and further eliminate on all matters relating to land, language, lineage of the indigenous communities and evaluation studies were also felicitated and awarded.
Prizes were also distributed to the winners of March Past where Holy Cross Secondary School, St. Mary’s Hr. Secondary School and Auxilium Higher Secondary School won the 1st, 2nd and 3rd prizes respectively.
Felicitation of Shillong Municipal Board workers and cultural programmes are the other highlights of the day.