Move to make Meghalaya among top 10 states in 10 years

Shillong: In a move to transform Meghalaya to be among the top 10 states in 10 years, the Cabinet on Monday approved the ‘Meghalaya Youth Policy, 2021, a framework towards achieving the government’s vision to create pathways for the youth in achieving their fullest potential and becoming engaged, skilled, creative, responsible and empowered members of the local and global community.
The policy will be notified by the Government soon.
Drafted by the State sports and youth affairs department, the policy is in sync with the government’s vision for the state to transform Meghalaya to be amongst the top 10 states in 10 years in GSDP per capita and SDG ranking.
The policy aims to address major issues and concerns of the youth based on nine identified key thrust areas that include education, health and wellbeing, counselling and mentoring, employment skill development and entrepreneurship, sports, cultural and creative industries, engagement and leadership, inclusion and environmental consciousness.
As per the latest estimates, Meghalaya has a population of approximately 38.29 lakh, of which over 74 percent or 28.48 lakhs are under the age of 35 years. While the primary focus remains on youth (15-29 years), critical issues and programs relating to the age group of 5-14 years will also be emphasised and made part of the overall youth development framework.
Chief minister Conrad K Sangma said, “Our country is passing through a demographic transition with young populace becoming the dominant segment of the society. Youth constitute a major portion of the society with the enormous potential to contribute to state’s GDP”.
He said the policy provides a systematic framework for youth engagement and equal opportunities to all young men and women for their socio-economic development, and in turn, contribute in
enhancing the per capita income of the state in achieving the sustainable development goals.
Sangma said the structure of the policy is based on a result-oriented approach that will be driven by various departments and will be evaluated in a time-bound manner quarterly, biannually and annually.
“The policy includes planned interventions covering life-cycle of a youth in its entirety that includes early childhood interventions implemented through various plans and policies like Early Childhood Education Mission, Meghalaya School Improvement Plan (MSIP), health upgradation programs like
FIT India, sports infrastructure upgradation, setup academies of excellence in the area of arts and culture, and recognition of key achievements in sports, arts and culture,” the Chief Minister said.