Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma refuted opposition claims about the failure of the state’s employment policies. He highlighted that various government initiatives are successfully generating jobs and providing livelihood opportunities for the youth. Sangma addressed concerns raised by Trinamool Congress MLA Mizanur Kazi during an Assembly discussion, emphasizing the need to consider different unemployment figures in the right context.
Citing official statistics, Sangma mentioned that Meghalaya’s unemployment rate was 6.0% in 2022-23 and 6.2% in 2023-24 according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey. However, estimates from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) reported a lower rate of 3.1%. The Chief Minister also stated that approximately 3.66 lakh jobs have been created through various schemes and interventions in recent years.
Sangma highlighted the demographic challenge posed by Meghalaya’s young population, with almost half of the residents being under 20 years old. He emphasized that while the state has not fully achieved its employment goals yet, progress is being made in the right direction. The Chief Minister mentioned key programs like the FOCUS scheme, which has benefited around 2.1 lakh individuals through Rs 140 crore sanctioned to 22,500 producer groups.
