A proposal for setting up 12 new degree colleges in the state has been approved by the Meghalaya cabinet on Tuesday, December 13. This announcement comes right before the assembly elections in Meghalaya. Elections in the state are due early next year. 

Addressing the press after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the cabinet has also approved an ordinance for renaming Capt Williamson Sangma Technical University as Capt Williamson Sangma State University. This is the first state-run university in Meghalaya, as stated in a report by PTI.

Further, the cabinet gave approval to the proposal of starting BA and BCom courses at the College of Teacher Education in Tura. For this purpose, 39 new posts will be created. Further, in this regard, he said that this was done in accordance with the New Education Policy (NEP), which requires colleges to have multi-discipline courses.

Having said that, as many as 50 new posts for the Shillong Government College of Engineering (SGCE) and 47 posts for the College of Architecture & Planning Tura (CAPT) were also approved by the cabinet. In this context, Sangma said the infrastructure of both colleges was 99 per cent complete. 

The government would spend Rs 2.8 crore for SGCE and Rs 2.7 crore for CAPT annually. The colleges are expected to start the first session by mid of next year, he added. 

Additionally, an amendment to the Meghalaya Health Services Rules to allow the Meghalaya Medical Services Recruitment Board to fill up vacant posts through recruitment exams has received its nod from the cabinet. Sangma said the cabinet also approved a compensation policy for deaths of undertrial prisoners, in accordance with the direction of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), as stated in a report by PTI.