Meghalaya’s first government engineering college began its inaugural academic session on Friday, over five decades after the state attained full statehood.

Chief minister Conrad K. Sangma inaugurated the Shillong Government College of Engineering at Mawlai, calling it a “historic day” for Meghalaya’s higher and technical education. “Starting late does not mean we will be left behind,” Sangma said, stressing that technology could help the state leapfrog in development, just as India did through innovations like UPI and Aadhaar.

He cited the example of a young Khasi engineer from Shillong who developed software for migrating S/4HANA systems — a $10billion global market — using Nvidia’s “Speed of Light” concept to reduce testing time from over a year to just months. “This is happening right here in Shillong,” he said, adding that Nvidia officials had visited the city to explore partnerships and expansion.

Encouraging students to “dream boldly” and set high standards, Sangma said the launch marked a turning point for the state. He also announced that the second phase of the Shillong IT Park, with 3,000 seats, would be inaugurated by December, with a UK-based firm already interested in setting up operations.

In a post on X, Sangma said Meghalaya was “steadily emerging as the IT hub of the Northeast,” citing new partnerships with global technology leaders like Nvidia.