Thomas Lim

Meghalaya Chief Minister, Dr Mukul M Sangma, while speaking at the plenary meeting of the North Eastern Council (NEC) recently held in Shillong city, stressed that North Eastern (NE) states, including Meghalaya, can collectively become one of the most favored tourist destinations with huge diversity of the region that is home to vibrant culture, way of life, picturesque landscape and youth with good command over English language. Whereas on May 27, 2017 violence broke out at the Gate Way to the State capital- Ri Bhoi district, over the construction of Railway Line. Ri Bhoi Deputy Commissioner CP Gotmare, while imposing Section 144 CrPC in the district, prohibiting assembly of more than five persons, also stated that appropriate legal action will be taken against KSU volunteers involved in the crime.

Thomas Lim
The phobia of saffronizing the nation with Hindutva ideologies seem to be gaining ground across India through the sanctity of the cow is integral to the dogma. A controversy about cow slaughter helps the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) play to its gallery, with over 80 percent of Indians identifying themselves as Hindu, and most of the faithful not approving of the consumption of Beef, the BJP expects that the controversy will help it politically and ideologically, but in the state of Meghalaya, and other states in the South like Kerala and North East including Meghalaya, reacted to the Environment Ministry banned the sale of cattle for slaughter through an animal market angered many people, some BJP leaders from these regions have defended their practices regarding cows.

Thomas Lim
The Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance government, headed by Narendra Damodardas Modi, on May 30, 2017 indicated that it could reconsider the controversial notification regulating the sale of cattle following a nationwide row. The indication was given by Union Information and Broadcasting Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu to the media, even as Environment Minister Harsh Vardhan said that the order was not directed against any state or any particular section of the society.
Naidu tried to justify that the norms regarding sale of cattle were notified by the government to prevent cruelty to animals. The rules were formulated and notified against the backdrop of some observations made by the Supreme Court and a parliamentary panel on the need to check animal mafia.

Thomas Lim
The observation of World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) on May 31 every year is intended to encourage a 24-hour period of abstinence from all forms of tobacco consumption around the globe. The day is further intended to draw attention to the widespread prevalence of tobacco use and the negative health effects this has, which currently leads to nearly 6 million deaths each year worldwide. This is besides the 600,000 deaths each year of non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke. However, in Meghalaya all forms of tobacco consumption were never stopped.