Shillong, May 1: In Rongara-Siju constituency, a unique initiative is making waves among school students, thanks to local MLA and Meghalaya’s Education Minister, Rakkam A. Sangma. Since 2022, Sangma has been personally rewarding students who achieve ‘letter marks’—scores of 80% and above in individual subjects—in their board examinations.
“When I became the MLA in 2018, only 10 to 20 students used to get letter marks in any subject,” Sangma said. “So I thought, why not motivate them? Why not give them a token of love and encouragement?”
Under this scheme, Sangma offers Rs 5,000 per subject to students who secure letter marks, with the money coming directly from his own pocket. The awards are based on the number of subjects in which students achieve high scores—some receive Rs 5,000, while others take home up to Rs 25,000.
The response has been encouraging. In 2022, only a handful of students qualified, but this year, the number has risen sharply. “This year, I gave out a total of Rs 16 lakh to 178 students who got letter marks,” he shared. “Many of them scored over 90 in subjects like mathematics and science. That has never happened in my constituency before.”
Sangma’s commitment doesn’t stop at cash rewards. He has also promised full support for higher education to any student from his constituency who makes it to the state’s top 10 merit list. “I have announced that as long as I am your MLA, if any student makes it to the top 10 list, I will help with admission in any institution across the country,” he declared.
Though no student has made it to the top 10 list yet, Sangma believes the mindset among students is changing. “They are well motivated now and take it as a challenge,” he said.
While questions may remain about how sustainable this personally funded initiative is in the long run, its impact is already visible. In an area where access to quality education remains a challenge, this gesture is not just about money—it’s about instilling hope and drive in young minds.
“I will continue to do this as long as I remain the MLA,” Sangma affirmed. “This is my challenge.”
Even the scars left by coal mining are healing. In East Jaintia Hills’ Mynthlu village, a former coal depot now grows citronella and lemongrass, which command strong market prices and help replenish the soil. “This is more than land restoration—it’s community renewal,” says local resident Samuel Latam.
So far, over 46,000 hectares of land are now under sustainable management. Nearly 10,000 hectares of forest have been revived, and more than 9,000 springs have been mapped and geo-tagged, with 3,000 already rejuvenated. A third of the 13,000 people trained in GIS, finance, and procurement are women.
The initiative has also protected cultural heritage. Living Root Bridges—woven from the roots of native Ficus trees and shaped over decades—are being conserved with community involvement. A dossier is being prepared to nominate these unique structures as UNESCO World Heritage sites, recognising their blend of nature and indigenous engineering.
In a pioneering move, Meghalaya became the first Indian state to introduce a Payment for Ecosystem Services program, incentivising communities to protect over 42,000 hectares of natural forests. Landowners now receive annual compensation for conserving ecologically sensitive areas, including sacred groves and elephant corridors.
Encouraged by the success, Meghalaya is scaling up this model through the “Green Meghalaya” initiative. Neighbouring states are watching closely, eager to replicate the holistic approach.
“This project proves that when communities lead with the right tools and support, restoration is not only possible—it’s powerful,” says Sampath Kumar, the project’s director.
“As the world looks for ways to build resilience to climate change, Meghalaya has shown that addressing landscape challenges comprehensively and using the transformative power of communities can go a long way in restoring a degraded environment, while benefitting communities both socially and economically,” the Bank says.
Also Read: How Meghalaya’s communities are restoring nature and building futures
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