Wahiajer(Meghalaya), June 20: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday cut the ribbon on the Jowai–Nartiang–Kdiap–Khanduli Road, saying strong roads are how growth reaches India’s farthest villages and border areas.
Built with New Development Bank funding at over ₹59 crore, the JNKK Road is set to ease travel across West Jaintia Hills. Locals expect quicker trips to markets, schools, and clinics, plus a push for trade and livelihoods in the district.
The event at Wahiajer Football Stadium doubled as a youth connect. Sitharaman sat down with students from Kiang Nangbah Government College, Jowai, a 1967 institution named after freedom fighter U Kiang Nangbah that anchors higher education in the Jaintia Hills.
The conversation moved fast. Students asked about jobs, startups, financial literacy, and how to stay relevant as tech changes careers. Many wanted clarity on how to navigate AI, digital skills, and the pressure of constant information.
Sitharaman told them to stay curious, think critically, and keep learning. With phones putting the world in every pocket, she said, the real skill is sorting signal from noise. Verify what you read, use tech responsibly, and turn energy into innovation and community work.
She reminded the students that no generation before had this much access to knowledge and opportunity. Quality infrastructure like the new road and quality thinking from youth, she said, will decide how far and how fast the region grows.
