Tura (Meghalaya), April 17: Decades of demand turned into policy Thursday as Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma told the A’chik Literary Society in Tura that the Cabinet has cleared Khasi and Garo as official languages of Meghalaya alongside English.
Calling it a historic step for the state’s linguistic heritage, the Chief Minister said the decision sends a strong message to citizens and the Centre about promoting local languages at all levels. He acknowledged that full integration into government communications, administration, and exams will take time, but said the process is now formally in motion.
He added that future Assembly proceedings would gradually use Khasi and Garo and suggested that debates in the Autumn Session could take place in the two languages in the new Assembly building. To get there, he sought the A’chik Literary Society’s help in drafting rules and frameworks for rollout, saying their support would ensure the move is implemented in the right spirit and bolster the case for Eighth Schedule inclusion.
The Chief Minister thanked the Society for its work preserving Garo through literature, noting an earlier Assembly resolution already seeks Eighth Schedule status for Khasi and Garo. Members of the Society welcomed the Cabinet decision and pledged to keep pushing the promotion and development of the Garo language.
