Raphael Warjri

International Workers’ Day was celebrated at the U Soso Tham Auditorium with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma as Chief Guest and Labour Minister Methodius Dkhar as Guest of Honour.

The Chief Minister also distributed cheques and benefits to beneficiaries during the programme.

Addressing workers, Sangma termed them the “pillars of the state” and highlighted Meghalaya’s steady economic growth, with over 5,000 projects worth Rs 2,900 crore generating around 20,000 jobs. He noted that the state offers Rs 525 per day for unskilled labour, among the highest in the country.
He said Rs 400 crore collected as labour cess is being used for welfare schemes, including health, pension and education benefits, and urged workers to register.

Several initiatives were launched, including CM LIGHT for financial assistance, ENABLE for school infrastructure and support to workers’ children, BUILD for infrastructure and employment generation, and a Digital Labour Chowk app for worker registration. Startup toolkits were also distributed, and social security coverage for registered workers was announced.