Meghalaya scripts history

- Home portfolio for woman minister, budget session from tomorrow

ANDREW W. LYNGDOH

Shillong, March 12: Meghalaya has scripted history yet again as the state will, for the first time, have a woman minister to head the crucial home (police) department.

Meghalaya chief minister Mukul M. Sangma has allotted the crucial department to Roshan Warjri, Congress legislator representing North Shillong constituency.

Warjri is also perhaps the first woman in Northeast and eastern India to hold the vital department.

Andhra Pradesh, which is also ruled by the Congress, has a woman home minister in P. Sabitha Indra Reddy.

Moreover, apart from the home (police) department, the veteran politician from North Shillong will also take charge of home (jails) and the Public Works Department (buildings) departments.

In the earlier Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) ministry, veteran Congress leader H.D.R. Lyngdoh was the in charge of the home (police) department.

However, in the new ministry, Lyngdoh has lost both the home (police) and the PWD (roads) departments.

The PWD (roads) department has been allotted to the youngest member of the cabinet and new entrant, Sniawbhalang Dhar, a two-time Congress legislator representing Nartiang constituency.

Lyngdoh will now handle the transport, general administration department, district council affairs and cooperation.

Awards announced

Gary Jarman Lamare, who conquered Mount Everest last year, will be awarded the U Kiang Nangbah award for sports by the Meghalaya government.

To 30-year-old Shillongite, a photographer with Discovery channel, became the first individual from Meghalaya to summit Mount Everest on May 25, 2012.

Accompanying nine members of the Army Adventure Wing, Gary, a resident of Lower Lachaumiere in Shillong, scaled the peak in the early hours.

U Kiang Nangbah award for sports is one of the three Meghalaya Day awards conferred by the state government on achievers.

For the U Tirot Sing award for arts and literature, the state government has chosen Streamlet Dkhar, Khasi poet and author. Meghalaya Parents' Association for the Disabled (MEPAD) general secretary Belbora Wankhar, and Col (retd) Tauro Ignatius Donald will share the Pa Togan Sangma award for social service.

The awards carry a citation along with cash of Rs 1 lakh each.

The decisions were taken this evening in the first meeting of the Meghalaya United Alliance (MUA) cabinet under the chairmanship of chief minister Mukul Sangma.

Budget session: The maiden budget session of the ninth Meghalaya Assembly will be held from Thursday and continue till March 22. After a brief recess, the session will resume from April 8 and will continue till April 18.

The cabinet today approved the text of the Governor's address, which will be delivered by Governor R.S. Mooshahary on the opening day of the budget session.

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