The Meghalaya cabinet on Thursday approved the Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance, 2026, making Khasi and Garo the official state languages alongside English.

Announcing the cabinet decision, chief minister Conrad K. Sangma said the language ordinance repealed the Meghalaya State Language Act, 2005.

“Apart from English, Khasi and Garo language will also become official language of the state under the new Meghalaya Official Languages Ordinance 2026,” Sangma said.

In December, the NPP-led Meghalaya government had made inclusion of Khasi and Garo in the curriculum for children up to Class I mandatory.

While sharing this cabinet decision with the members of the Khasi Authors Society, Sangma said that although the Meghalaya Assembly passed a resolution to include the Khasi and Garo languages in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, there was a “need to send a strong message to the people of the state and the central government about the importance of promoting local languages at all levels and advancing the agenda for including these languages in the Eighth Schedule”.

The chief minister added that this is an important step and though the process of fully introducing the languages in government and official communications and examinations would take time the decision has set the system for the adoption of
these languages.

“The Khasi Authors Society and the Achik Literature Society have been instrumental behind this decision and I thank them and also seek their support in moving forward,” Sangma added.