The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly has introduced several government Bills on the first day of the Autumn Session, covering various sectors including forest administration, money lending, public services, official languages, and higher education.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma introduced the Meghalaya Forest Authority (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to operationalise the Meghalaya Forest Authority Act, 1991 by providing for grants from the state government and the creation of a dedicated Meghalaya Forest Authority Fund. Additionally, the Chief Minister introduced the Meghalaya Money Lenders and Accredited Loan Providers’ Bill, 2026, which aims to replace the existing Meghalaya Money Lender Act, an adaptation of the Assam Money Lenders Act of 1934.
The Chief Minister also introduced the Meghalaya Right to Public Services (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which proposes an automatic appeal mechanism for applications submitted through notified electronic systems where no decision is taken within the prescribed time. This mechanism will facilitate the statutory appellate process, but will not amount to deemed approval and will not alter the existing statutory rights of applicants or the responsibilities of designated officers and appellate authorities.
Furthermore, the Meghalaya Official Language Bill, 2026, was introduced, which seeks to replace the Meghalaya Official Language Ordinance promulgated by the Governor on April 27, 2026. The proposed legislation will pave the way for Khasi and Garo to be recognised as official languages of Meghalaya alongside English, replacing the existing framework under which Khasi and Garo have only been recognised as associate official languages for limited use.
Education Minister Lahkmen Rymbui introduced several Bills concerning private universities in the state, including the International Open University (Repealing) Bill, 2026, the Khasi Jaintia Presbyterian University Meghalaya Bill, 2026, and the Sister Nivedita University Meghalaya Bill, 2026. The latter proposes to establish a university in Meghalaya offering programmes across various disciplines. The Assembly also saw the introduction of the Mahatma Gandhi University Bill, 2026, the Martin Luther Christian University (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Maharashtra Institute of Technology University of Meghalaya (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
These Bills were introduced after the Assembly granted leave to the ministers concerned to introduce the proposed legislation.
