Meghalaya is a state in north-east India. The name means “the abode of clouds” in Sanskrit. As of 2011, the state has a population of 2,964,007 and is the 23rd most populous in the country. The state is the wettest region of India, recording an average of 12,000 mm (470 in) of rains a year. About 70 per cent of the state is forest. Meghalaya currently has 11 districts. As of 2012, about 12 per cent of the total state population is below poverty line. The state is doing good work in many areas to elevate the living standards of its people and a reflection of this effort; it won four SKOCH Order-of-Merit, three for Agriculture & Rural Development and one for Governance, which also received an Award.

Key Achievements

In the Agriculture & Rural Development category, the state of Meghalaya won Order-of-Merit for the projects, ‘ICAR Experts SMS Services to Farmers’, ‘Kiran Tracking System’ and ‘e-Registration of Dealers & e-Amendment, Taxation Dept’, all implemented by National Informatics Centre, Meghalaya, Shillong. The e-Registration is a web-based workflow solution, which has been conceptualised, designed and developed by NIC for the Taxation Department, Government of Meghalaya to modernise and improve the process of issuing Registration Certificates under VAT and CST to the dealers. The Kiran Tracking System is an online application to help the farmers to keep track and follow the advisory contents given by the Experts from ICAR (Indian Council of Agriculture Research) regarding upkeep of crops and live- stock from the day of procurement.

In the Governance category, the Order-of-Merit and the Award was won by the Department of Planning, Government of Meghalaya, for the Integrated Basin Development and Livelihood Promotion Programme (IBDLP). This is the flagship livelihoods programme of the Government of Meghalaya, which aims to place the state on a higher growth trajectory and improve the quality of life of all its citizens.

It is only with the active participation of the people that development projects can be implemented in full measure and results obtained. The government must strive to function in a transparent, accountable and responsive way to improve the delivery mechanism and to ensure success of its plans.