(MENAFN- IANS) Shillong, Dec 2 (IANS) Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma on Tuesday asserted that the government has been working to keep the youth of the hill state busy and engaged for the transformation of Meghalaya into a developed state.

Sangma engaged with the youths in the state-level youth engagement program here and he gave a presentation on the initiatives taken by the state government such as skilling, hospitality training, entrepreneurship, the Drug Reduction, Elimination and Action Mission (DREAM) program, CM-MGMP, YESS Meghalaya, CM Elevate, PRIME, sports and the ongoing initiatives for the National Games etc. 2025 is underway today at the Convocation Hall, NEHU Campus, Shillong, and will continue until 5th December 2025.

A huge number of youths turned up at the program, which allowed them to integrate and share their unique stories, and get a platform to express themselves through arts, sports, innovation, science and technology.

Sangma said,“The idea is to keep our youth engaged, keep our youth busy, while we are having the youth exchange program. These programs we are having with the youth are transformational programs. And once that phase gets over, we are looking at the phase where we will then reap the benefits of the foundations that lay the transformation that has been done. Then the final growth that will take place, and the aspiration to finally take the exponential growth in the days to come.”

About the international youth exposure, the Chief Minister said that 48 participants will be selected for a trip to the Philippines and Malaysia. About 500 participants will be selected to represent at the National level.

Wailadmiki Shylla, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs, said,“Meghalaya is the only state which has the youth engagement program at the Block Level. We want our youth to come forward, to explore and to try new things. From here, the winner will participate in the national-level youth festival, and the runners-up will go to the Northeast youth festival. And there is also a national and an international exposure.”

Meanwhile, a senior government official said that the CM-Youth Engagement Programme is an initiative to celebrate young talent and creativity, empower the youth by embarking on a cultural exposure, leadership roles, nurture the youth's innovation in science and technology, and take pride in the state's folk traditions.

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