Guwahati: In a significant development, the Meghalaya Assembly passed the Meghalaya State Investment Promotion and Facilitation (Amendment) Bill, 2025, on the final day of the budget session.

The bill was amended to drop the contentious section that proposed the creation of land banks, which had sparked widespread opposition from pressure groups and opposition politicians.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma moved the amendment motion, stating that the government was deleting the words "creation of land banks through direct purchase of land or other means" from the bill.

This change aims to alleviate concerns that the original bill would bypass the Land Transfer Act, the jurisdiction of autonomous district councils, and not benefit local job-seeking youth.

The amended bill ensures that the MSIPF Act will not override the Meghalaya Transfer of Land Regulation Act, 1971.

Additionally, specific sections have been added to ensure that all procedures and rules applicable to autonomous district councils are followed. The bill also prioritizes employment generation for locals, with Sangma promising that 90 per cent of non-managerial and 50 per cent of managerial jobs created by firms under the MSIPF Act would be given to locals.

The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) had moved its own amendment to the bill, with Nongkrem MLA Ardent M Basaiawmoit questioning the custody of the proposed land bank. Basaiawmoit argued that the issue of land is sensitive, as tribal people have deep cultural and historical connections to their land.