Meghalaya CM says govt committed to promote entrepreneurship and innovation

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 25, 2025

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday emphasized on the commitment of the government to promote entrepreneurship and innovation.

According to him, the government has undertaken various initiatives for the growth of the state including the youth including PRIME Meghalaya, CM-ELEVATE, Meghalaya Grassroots Music Project (MGMP), Skills Meghalaya and others.

“We are creating jobs and opportunities, but I need you, the entrepreneurs, to now bring all of this together and create value and unlock opportunities,” Sangma said.

The CM was addressing the Onboarding & Graduation Program organized by PRIME Meghalaya under the theme ‘Launching Dreams, Celebrating Growth’ to honor the Top 75 Startups who were selected through the Chief Minister’s E-Champion Challenge 5.0, marking the start of their incubation journey. The event also celebrated the graduation of Cohort 4, recognizing their commitment and achievements.

On the larger goal of PRIME in the government’s commitment to entrepreneurship, Sangma also urged the team to set up a financial wing for venture capital and link potential investors for the entrepreneurs.

He congratulated the entrepreneurs to keep pushing for great things and inspire many more people.

Initiated by the Government of Meghalaya in 2019, the Chief Minister’s E-Championship Challenge is one of the flagship programs aimed at identifying, nurturing and supporting the promising entrepreneurs in the state.

Till date more than 6000 entrepreneurs have benefitted from the PRIME program, more than 200 entrepreneurs incubated and more than 100 PRIME Rural Fellows (PRF) who are being supported.

Gaurav Kapoor, CBO, IIMCIP in his opening remarks said that entrepreneurship is a very unique journey, which is not easy but with the right vision, knowledge, insights, skills, tools and the perfect balance, it becomes a beautiful achievable journey. He lauded PRIME Meghalaya for the amazing amount of work done on the ground and the support they offer to the entrepreneurs. He also urged all the entrepreneurs to make the most of the incubation program, especially the bootcamps which not only give them the opportunity to learn but to also engage, along with technical assistance, market access and financial support provided by PRIME.

Aiban Swer, Director, MBDA spoke about the system that was created built on materialization development focusing on natural resource management, proper governance mechanism, interdepartmental coordination and enterprise development. He stated that the coming in of partnerships with institutes of national importance across the country brought many relationships which helped in the development of the first flagship program, the Integrated Basin Development Program. He spoke about the many opportunities that the government is providing especially to uplift young people and their families in terms of business, opportunity, livelihood development and leadership and expressed confidence in PRIME Meghalaya’s hand-holding capacity that provides support through mentors to produce young entrepreneurs who can diversify, add value and provide services that the world needs.

A panel discussion on ‘Empowering Entrepreneurship in the Northeast: Stories of Innovation & Impact’ was moderated by Pankaj Baruah, IIMCIP, amplifying the emergence of the Northeast region as a dynamic hub of entrepreneurial activity. The discussion highlighted the stories of startups and entrepreneurs of the region who in spite of facing challenges in demographics, market access, and so on, have utilized local resources, and sustainable practices to create both economic and social impact.

Cyril V.D. Diengdoh, IAS, Commissioner & Secretary and Director, Tourism Department in his address said that the government has been at the forefront of promoting entrepreneurship to empower the people, especially the youth of Meghalaya so they can become job creators and job makers instead of only being job seekers. “All of you are not only persons who have taken the risk, but you are also future leaders of our state in terms of inspiring our youth and others to take up initiatives,” he said while congratulating all the entrepreneurs whom he termed as people who are assisting others add to the value chain especially the farmers, weavers and those doing things at a small scale.

The event also witnessed the launch of the Acceleration Program, Product Catalogue Book, Annual Report and PRIME Entrepreneurs Spotlight, by Conrad K Sangma, Chief Minister, and experiential sharing by EriWeave of PRIME Cohort 2 and Boba Bae of Cohort 4.