Explore Conrad Sangma’s political journey as NPP leader, from MLA and MP to Chief Minister of Meghalaya, including elections, leadership, and key milestones.
Wiki Life Staff
Conrad Sangma began his political journey in the late 1990s as a campaign manager for his father, P. A. Sangma, who was associated with the Nationalist Congress party (NCP). This early role helped him understand grassroots politics and election management.
In 2008, Conrad Sangma entered active politics after winning the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly election from the Selsella constituency. Soon after becoming an MLA, he was given important ministerial responsibilities in the state government. He handled key departments such as Finance, Power, Tourism, General Administration (GAD), and Information technology (IT).
These roles gave him strong experience in managing important sectors of the state, including budget planning, resource management, and tourism development. Notably, he presented his first state budget within just 10 days of becoming a minister and became the youngest Finance Minister of Meghalaya at the age of 30.
After the death of his father in 2016, Conrad Sangma took over the leadership of the National People’s Party (NPP). Under his leadership, the party expanded its presence and influence in national politics. In the same year, he contested a Lok Sabha by-election from the Tura constituency and won, giving him an opportunity to raise issues related to the North East and tribal communities at the national level.
On March 2018, Conrad Sangma became the Chief Minister of Meghalaya by forming a coalition government with regional and national parties. His government focused on governance reforms, infrastructure development, and improvements in education and healthcare. His leadership is often seen as modern, inclusive and development-oriented.
In 2023, he secured a second consecutive term as Chief Ministerafter the NPP emerged as the single largest party in the Meghalaya Assembly elections. This victory reflected continued public support and political stability in the state.
The Conrad Sangma led Meghalaya's government has launched several important initiatives to support rural development, entrepreneurship, education, and environmental protection. These programmes focus on creating jobs, supporting small businesses, helping students, protecting forests, and improving livelihoods across the state. key schemes include CM ELEVATE & PRIME, the CM Scholarship Scheme, GREEN Meghalaya, and central schemes like PMMY, MGNREGA, and NRLM
CM ELEVATE (Empowering Livelihoods & Entrepreneurship for Vocation, Enterprise & Transformation) is a flagship programme of the Meghalaya government. It aims to empower youth and local communities through entrepreneurship. The scheme provides financial support with subsidies of up to 75 percent, easy bank loans through partner bank, and guidance for starting businesses.
The programme supports activities such as agriculture, livestock, fisheries, food processing, and traditional crafts. Its main goal is to create jobs, strengthen local economies, and encourage self-employment.
PRIME (Promoting Regional Industries Through Micro-Enterprises) is an entrepreneurship support programme under CM LEVATE. It focuses mainly on young entrepreneurs and startups. The scheme provides incubation support, mentoring, skill training, access to funding, and help in finding markets.
Through startup hubs, business challenges, and mentoring programmes, PRIME helps entrepreneurs grow their ideas into successful business.
The Chief Minister’s Scholarship Scheme (CMSS) is a major education initiative of the Meghalaya government. Under this scheme, permanent residents of Meghalaya studying from Class XI to PhD level receive ₹6,000 per year.
The scholarship supports students studying both within and outside the state. It works alongside central government scholarship and aims to reduce financial pressure on students while encouraging higher education.
GREEN Meghalaya (Grassroot level Response Towards Ecosystem Enhancement and Nurturing) is a flagship environmental conservation programme. It uses the Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) model to encourage forest protection.
Under this scheme, communities and landowners receive financial incentives to protect natural forests for at least 30 years. Payments are made per hectare for conserving forests that provide clean water, clean air, and biodiversity. The programme helps turn conservation into a sustainable livelihood for forest-department communities.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) is a Government of India scheme that supports small and micro businesses. It provides loans of up to ₹10 lakh to entrepreneurs in manufacturing, trading, services, and agriculture-allied activities.
Loans are offered under three categories –
The scheme is implemented through banks and financial institutions under MUDRA and helps promote entrepreneurship and self-employment.
Conrad Sangma is an Indian Politician and the leader of the National People’s Party (NPP). He is the 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya and has been in office since 2018. Earlier, he also served as a member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (Lower House).Conrad Sangma first entered state politics in 2008 when he was elected as an MLA from the Selsella constituency. Before that, he contested the Garo Hills Autonomous Dirstrict Council election in 2004, where he lost by a narrow margin of 182 votes.During his time as an MLA, Conrad Sangma handled several key departments in the Meghalaya government, including Finance, Power, Tourism, General Administration (GAD), and Information Technology (IT). In 2016, he was elected as the President of the National People’s Party.In the 2018 Meghalaya Assembly Election, the NPP formed the government with the support of other regional parties. Conrad Sangma took oath as the 12th Chief Minister of Meghalaya on 6 March 2018, marking the beginning of his first term as Chief Minister.
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