Official notifications to be made in Khasi & Garo alongside English
Shillong, April 16: In a historic decision, the state government has accorded official language status to Khasi and Garo alongside English through the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026.
The state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday brought the ordinance and repealed the Meghalaya State Language Act, 2005.
Informing about the cabinet decision, “…from now on, apart from English, Khasi and Garo will also become official language of the state.”
He said it will create new opportunities for the youth besides promoting the state’s indigenous languages.
According to him, the move will expand the use of both languages in administration and governance.
“With this very important and landmark decision, this will facilitate the process of allowing Khasi and Garo language to be used in most of the government communications in the due course of time,” Sangma said.
Meghalaya State Legislature (Continuation of the English Language) Act, 1980 will also have to be amended for the purpose.
“Once amended, it will also enable our legislators to speak and debate in Khasi and Garo language apart from English even during their Assembly sessions,” he said.
Sangma said the decision will also extend to competitive examinations. “This decision will also pave the way for different important examinations also to be held apart from English in our own local languages – Garo and Khasi.”
Implementation of the decision, however, will be in a phased manner.
“The process will take some time. Certain decisions will be much easier to implement immediately, certain decisions will require logistical setups to be created, manpower to be employed and different infrastructures to be created, rules to be created,” he noted.
“But as I said the decision today will allow all of these things to fall into place,” he said.
On usage, he clarified that English will remain a common link. “The notifications in the gazettes and the orders that come out from the government of Meghalaya will be in English, Garo and Khasi…so all three languages will be there,” he said.
“The communication, inter-district will happen in English, the official notifications and orders and file noting will be in English,” he added.
Linking the ordinance to the state’s long-standing demand for Eighth Schedule status, he said, “This also is being done primarily because the resolution to include the Khasi and Garo language in the Eighth Schedule was taken by the Assembly and our government felt very strongly that while we are demanding for Eighth Schedule, it is important that in our state itself, we must also take necessary steps to make both Khasi and Garo official.”
He termed the decision crucial for pursuing with the Centre the proposal for Eight Schedule status for Khasi and Garo.
“This is also one important step towards achieving that particular goal,” Sangma said.
However, he said, the final decision lies with the Centre and the Parliament and the state government has to push for it.
“We hope that we will be able to carry forward and take this work and hopefully one day we will be able to include both Khasi and Garo in the Eighth Schedule,” Sangma added.
