Meghalaya ramps up youth skilling push with Rs 50 crore investment

Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on May 21 said economic growth must translate into opportunities for people at the grassroots, as the state government expanded its skill development and entrepreneurship push through ‘Skillerate 2026’ held at Holly Hocks in Tura.

The event, organised by the Meghalaya State Skill Development Society (MSSDS) under the Department of Labour, Employment and Skill Development, focused on employment-linked skilling, entrepreneurship and livelihood generation for youth entering the workforce across the state.

Addressing the gathering, Sangma said the government alone could not drive economic progress and stressed the need for collective participation.

“Economic growth has meaning only when benefits reach the people especially those in the rural areas,” he said, while urging citizens to participate in CM CONNECT programmes to help the government identify grassroots issues.

The chief minister said Meghalaya currently has more than 136 training partners under various skill programmes, with nearly 1.58 lakh enrolments recorded so far. He also announced that two new institutions — a College of Agriculture, Horticulture and Food Processing in East Garo Hills and a Veterinary College in Ri Bhoi — are in the pipeline.

A major highlight of the programme was the rollout of post-training support under the PROPEL scheme, under which around 21,000 trainees are set to receive startup toolkits worth nearly Rs 24 crore. Each toolkit is valued at approximately Rs 9,000.

During the Tura event, the government also distributed 34 work orders under Skills Meghalaya and Supporting Human Capital Development in Meghalaya worth over Rs 16.59 crore, besides handing over 819 startup toolkits to beneficiaries.

Officials said the Tura edition follows the Shillong leg of Skillerate 2026 held earlier this month, where four flagship schemes — PROPEL, MEGASKILL, SHIELD and EQUIP — were launched with a combined investment of more than Rs 50 crore aimed at strengthening Meghalaya’s skilling ecosystem.

Labour, Employment and Skill Development Minister Methodius Dkhar said the state had made significant progress in skill development over the past several years and encouraged young people to take pride in all forms of work.

“I am seeing not trainees, but the future entrepreneurs, future changemakers of Meghalaya,” he said.

According to government data shared at the event, more than 50,000 youth have been trained across sectors in Meghalaya over the past five years, while nearly 30,000 received certifications that enabled them to pursue self-employment and formal jobs. The state has spent close to Rs 80 crore on the Skills Meghalaya programme in the last three years, with trainees collectively generating around Rs 150 crore in income during the same period.