SHILLONG, Aug 13: The Meghalaya Cabinet on Thursday cleared a wide-ranging set of decisions spanning mining policy, education reform, language rights, ease of doing business, industrial incentives, recruitment rules and excise taxation, officials said.
Anti-uranium mining resolution to go before Assembly
The Cabinet approved a draft resolution opposing uranium mining in Meghalaya, which will be tabled in the Autumn Session of the State Assembly starting August 24.
New MCS paper on Meghalaya
Acting on recommendations from an expert committee led by Professor David Syiemlieh, the Cabinet approved introducing a dedicated Paper VI on Meghalaya — covering its history, culture, traditional systems, society and economy — in the Meghalaya Civil Service exam, aimed at giving future officers deeper grounding in the state’s context.
Khasi and Garo to get official language status
The Meghalaya Official Languages Bill, 2026 — previously in force as an ordinance — was approved and will be formally introduced in the Assembly. It will recognise Khasi and Garo as official languages alongside English, paving the way for an amended Official Language Act.
Automatic appeals for delayed online services
An amendment to the Right to Public Services Act, 2020 was cleared to introduce an automatic appeal mechanism: if a notified online service misses its deadline, an appeal is triggered automatically, without citizens needing to file one themselves.
Investment policy registration window extended
The Cabinet extended the registration period under the Meghalaya Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (MIIPP), 2024 by one year, giving investors more time to register for incentives.
Recruitment age limit rules updated
The Meghalaya Commerce & Industries Service (Amendment) Rules, 2026 were approved, formally raising the upper recruitment age limit for Scheduled Tribe candidates from 27 to 32, in line with an earlier Cabinet decision.
Liquor taxation overhaul
In two related moves, the Cabinet approved folding VAT on alcoholic liquor into the Excise Duty regime (amending Section 44 and Schedule V of the Meghalaya VAT Act), and separately approved re-classifying IMFL brand categories, revising ad valorem rates, and amending excise and bonded warehouse rules — consolidating liquor taxation and regulation under a single Excise Department framework to improve monitoring and revenue collection.
State GST Act to align with national changes
Finally, the Cabinet approved a Bill amending the Meghalaya GST Act, 2017 to incorporate recent national-level GST changes, a procedural step to keep state legislation in sync with central provisions. The Bill will also be introduced in the upcoming Assembly Session.
