IMPORTANT NEWS OF THE DAY..Today: Union ministers to visit J&K after Article 370 abrogation; Behmai massacre case verdict likely; Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. Tomorrow: India vs Australia, 3rd ODI, Bengaluru; India vs Sri Lanka, U-19 World Cup, Bloemfontein.1. Hanging Nirbhaya's killers: New date, old concerns1. Hanging Nirbhaya’s killers: New date, old concernsINVITE A FRIEND VIEW IN BROWSERSATURDAY, JANUARY 18, 2020Times Top10Good morning!5 THINGS FIRSTToday: Union ministers to visit J&K after Article 370 abrogation; Behmai massacre case verdict likely; Chinese President Xi Jinping meets Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar. Tomorrow: India vs Australia, 3rd ODI, Bengaluru; India vs Sri Lanka, U-19 World Cup, Bloemfontein 1. Hanging Nirbhaya's killers: New date, old concerns1. Hanging Nirbhaya’s killers: New date, old concernsOn Friday, fresh death warrants were issued by a Delhi court for the execution of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya case, shortly after President Ram Nath Kovind quickly rejected the mercy petition of one of them. The new date and time: Saturday, February 1 at 6:00 am IST. This after Additional Sessions Judge Satish Kumar Arora heard the plea by one of the convicts — Mukesh Kumar Singh — for postponing the date of his execution scheduled for January 22, 7:00 am in view of the pendency of his mercy petition.However, Judge Arora also expressed displeasure over the delay while hearing the plea. He pointed out that all four convicts were given ample time to file mercy pleas but only one of them preferred to do so. "There might be delaying tactics. For how long will this go on? Had death warrant not been issued, the convicts would not have initiated using their legal remedies," the court remarked.Besides Mukesh (32), Vinay Sharma (26), Akshay Kumar Singh (31) and Pawan Gupta (25) were to be hanged. Judge Arora issued death warrants against them on January 7. The curative petitions of Mukesh and Vinay have already been dismissed by the Supreme Court, while Akshay and Pawan have not filed any curative petitions yet. Also, the two men and Vinay have the option of filing mercy petitions before the President. Pawan, meanwhile, moved the Supreme Court, against the Delhi High Court verdict rejecting his juvenility claim at the time of offence.Also, during the hearing, AP Singh, counsel for Vinay, Akshay and Pawan, raised a fresh issue, claiming the four convicts cannot be executed until their appeal in a separate robbery case pending before the Delhi high court is disposed of. A 2015 Delhi court order held the four death row convicts guilty of robbing a carpenter named Ram Adhar hours before they committed the gangrape. The court had convicted them under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and had sentenced them to 10 years' imprisonment against which they filed an appeal in the HC which is still pending.Even as a political slugfest between the BJP and AAP ensued over the postponement, Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal believed the four convicts were exploiting the "shortcomings" in the system to delay their execution. Advocating a system where executions are not postponed like this, she tweeted, "It is a mockery of law that the convicts are filing mercy petitions one by one." 2. Why Bihar and Biharis are crucial for BJP this year2. Why Bihar and Biharis are crucial for BJP this yearTwo important states go to polls this year — Delhi and Bihar — and for the BJP, both are extremely important as the saffron party seeks to assert its regional relevance.State's man's ship: Outgoing BJP chief and Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assertion that the Bihar assembly polls which are due later this year will be fought jointly with its state ally JD (U) under the leadership of CM Nitish Kumar is probably an indicator that the national party has swallowed its ego after a string of electoral reverses in states, which started with it being ousted from power in 2018 in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Things didn't improve much even after the majority mandate in the parliamentary elections last year, with BJP losing power in Jharkhand and Maharashtra assembly polls in 2019 — with the latter seeing a much publicised fallout with its oldest ally, Shiv Sena, which wanted the CM's post.Importance of Bihar: A lack of majority in the Rajya Sabha for the BJP-led NDA means that winning Bihar is imperative for it — considering that 5 Rajya Sabha seats from Bihar are up for grabs this year and another 5 in 2022. The split with the Shiv Sena means that the BJP no longer has the support of its 3 MPs in the Rajya Sabha.Importance of being Bihari: Delhi, where the BJP has been out of power for more than two decades now, has a high concentration of Bihari migrants, who constitute 31% of Delhi’s population, up from 14% in 2001. The largest chunk of Biharis — 18.3% — migrate to Delhi and 40% of them are concentrated in just two districts, North West and West. That explains why the BJP is not only planning to allocate seats to the JD (U) in the Delhi polls but gave the reins of its Delhi unit to Mukesh Tiwari, a Bhojpuri actor, to tap into not just the Bihari votes but also Purvanchali votes — Purvanchalis being people from Jharkhand, Bihar and eatsern UP. In fact, not to be left out, even the Congress and its Bihar state ally, RJD, are in talks for a tie-up for the Delhi assembly polls. 3. The telecom turmoil3. The telecom turmoilLet's start with the good news, shall we? Shares of Bharti Airtel touched a 52-week high on Friday. The stock has been climbing since late October. Then, Reliance Jio added 5.6 million subscribers in November to become the largest telecom operator in India, with a total user base of 369.93 million.Yet, neither signal good times. Quite the opposite, in fact. Here's the gist of it. The launch of Reliance Jio and its nearly-free "introductory offer" three years back triggered a price war as the incumbent telecom companies — majorly Airtel, Vodafone and Idea — scampered to stop the loss of subscribers. Cue a decline in profits and an uptick in unpaid dues. Many small telecom operators fell by the wayside and some merged — such as Vodafone and Idea. From a high of 7 to 8 operators, the industry is down to 3 private players and one state-run firm nationwide. In November, Airtel and Vodafone Idea reported a combined loss of over Rs 74,000 crore, or over $10 billion, for the July-September quarter. Each had a net debt of over Rs 1 lakh crore. And Jio? Its profits rose to Rs 990 crore the same quarter. On Friday, Jio reported its December-quarter earnings: Net profit rose to Rs 1,350 crore.There's more. Telecom companies pay the Indian government spectrum charges and licence fees to operate. These fees are based on the adjusted gross revenue (AGR) they make. Here's where things get messy. The Department of Telecom (DoT) argued the AGR should include core revenue from telecom operations — you know, earnings from tariff and such — as well as non-core revenues from rent, dividend and interest. On October 24, the Supreme Court backed DoT's definition. Airtel has to pay around Rs 35,000 crore, Vodafone Idea Rs 50,000 crore and Jio Rs 60 crore (as a new entrant it didn't accrue much). That's a lot of money, and Vodafone Idea and Airtel filed a review plea, but the SC rejected it this week. The deadline to pay the dues? January 24 — the coming Friday.Back to the aforementioned good news, then? Airtel stock has been rising as its investors reckon Vodafone Idea will collapse under the debt — its chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla has said as much. Since BSNL too is teetering on the edge, it would result in a duopoly of Airtel and Jio. A duopoly is good for business — fewer the competition, more leverage to raise tariffs. That's bad for you — you'll pay more. And banks? They are staring at more non-performing assets. 4. Is Indian economy heading towards stagflation?4. Is Indian economy heading towards stagflation?The concept: Stagflation is an extreme economic situation characterised by stagnant economic growth and high prices (stagnation + inflation = stagflation) leading to high unemployment.The risk: While measures like increased government spending or interest rate cuts by the central bank can help during a slowdown, high inflation complicates the process as fiscal (by government) or monetary (by RBI) stimulus during this time can make inflation worse by putting more money in the hands of the consumer.The numbers: According to the government's estimates, India's GDP growth is expected to fall to 5% this year, the lowest in a decade. India's retail inflation, on the other hand, rose to a five-year high of 7.35% in December. The unemployment rate is the highest in 45 years.An example: One of the worst recorded phases of stagflation happened in mid-1970s when OPEC (the cartel of oil-producing countries) cut oil supply and sent oil prices soaring across the world leading to a drastic fall in production in oil-dependent economies and high inflation. The US economic growth between 1973-75 saw five quarters of negative growth and tripling of inflation to be regarded as stagflationary.The situation: India is nowhere close to the situation that the US was in the mid-70s. While India's GDP growth has fallen, the economy is still growing. Also, while inflation has breached the upper end of the Reserve Bank's 2%-6% target band for the first time since July 2016, it has been only for a month. With "core inflation" (which excludes volatile components like food and energy) still below 4%, experts say the current inflation figure is not permanent but transitory and will come down by March. Bottom line: India isn't facing stagflation now but the risks to economic growth remain as the slowdown in government expenditure in this quarter (to contain the fiscal deficit) will show up in the GDP numbers, which have been dependent on public spending alone for some time. NEWS IN CLUES5. This conglomerate is modelled on Berkshire Hathaway's operating structureClue 1: It manufactures, among other things, glucose-sensing contact lenses.Clue 2: California Life Company, which focuses on human longevity research, is a subsidiary of this group.Clue 3: It was co-founded by an immigrant to the US from the former Soviet Union.Scroll below for answers 6. Double strike and India's level!6. Double strike and India's level!At the start of the 38th over of the Australian reply in the second ODI against India in Rajkot, the visitors required 122 off 78 balls. With Steve Smith on song (a near-run-a-ball 97) and wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey looking to settle in, wrapping up the three-match series 2-0 was very much on the cards. Legspinner Kuldeep Yadav had gone wicketless for 57 runs in his previous 8 overs. Worse, since his hat-trick against West Indies in Visakhapatnam in December last year, Kuldeep had returned figures of 30.1-0-195-0.Smith took a single off the first ball and Kuldeep got the breakthrough with his next delivery. It was a soft dismissal as Carey, trying to check his shot, offered the simplest of catches to Virat Kohli at extra cover. Strike one. But Smith was still there and he was back on strike after new man Ashton Turner managed a single off the first ball he faced.The fourth ball, a googly from Kuldeep, had Smith foxed after he used his feet. Next up was a short googly turning away from middle. Smith picked it all right as he shaped to cut but could only chop it back onto the stumps off the under-edge. He was bowled two runs short of a century. Strike Two. And that was the game!The double-strike of Carey and Smith was the 13th time Kuldeep had managed multiple wickets in an over in ODIs. Since his debut no other bowler had managed it more times. There would be two other double-strikes in the match — Mohammad Shami removing Turner and Pat Cummins off successive deliveries in the 44th over and Navdeep Saini accounting for Ashton Agar and Mitchell Starc off the first and third balls of the 47th. Rajkot had come alive by then. As had the series.Check the series page here 7. How to protest when the court's watching7. How to protest when the court’s watchingFree but... A Delhi court had granted bail to Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekar Azad on Wednesday while restraining him from visiting the national capital for four weeks and directing him not to hold any dharna till the elections (on February 8). Azad was jailed after being accused of inciting people during an anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act protest at Jama Masjid on December 20.Protest or ... Hours after being released from Tihar Jail, Azad visited Jama Masjid again on Friday and swarmed by his supporters and locals, read out the Preamble to the Constitution and called for the repeal of CAA, which he termed as a "black act". The Bhim Army chief had sought special permission from the court for the visit.Azad who? Azad's Bhim Army rose to prominence during the 2017 Saharanpur riots when Dalits clashed violently with Thakurs, just months after BSP's rout and BJP's ascendance in the UP assembly polls. He was arrested and detained (in June) for 15 months under the draconian National Security Act before being released in September 2018. After less than a year of freedom, he was back in jail for two months starting August 2019, this time for protesting against the demolition of a Ravidas temple in Delhi. The latest arrest-release (for about a month) for his third. So, out of his three-year political career (starting 2017), he has spent half of it in jail. 8. And the world's biggest killer is...8. And the world's biggest killer is...... Sepsis. New research published in The Lancet has found that sepsis is responsible for the most deaths worldwide, even more than cancer or coronary disease — previously believed to be the leading causes of death globally. The study determined that, in 2017, 48.9 million cases of sepsis were diagnosed worldwide and 11 million people died of the condition. This represents one in five deaths worldwide — and twice as many as previously estimated.When someone has sepsis, their body essentially overreacts to an infection. This out-of-control immune responses can cause organs to shut down. And deaths from sepsis in 2017 peaked in early childhood, declined in early adulthood and rose again among the elderly.The researchers arrived at the higher numbers looking at more than 109 million individual death records and trends from 1990 through 2017. However, the number of sepsis cases have fallen 37% and deaths have fallen more than 52% since 1990. The large majority of sepsis cases — 85% in 2017 — occurred in low- or middle-income countries, they said, with the highest burden found in sub-Saharan Africa, the South Pacific islands near Australia, and South, East and Southeast Asia.Note: A study published in 2016 reported that nearly 30% of the patients admitted into ICUs in India had sepsis and one in three of these patients died. According to data from UNICEF, it was responsible for at least 640,000 babies dying before they reached a month old in India in 2016.According to the researchers, sepsis incidence was higher among females than males. And the most common underlying cause of sepsis-related death in both 1990 and 2017 was lower respiratory infection. YOU SHARE YOUR B'DAY WITH...YOU SHARE YOUR B'DAY WITH...Source: Various 9. Believe it or not, a piano costs more than a car in Mumbai9. Believe it or not, a piano costs more than a car in MumbaiCheapest city? According to a survey of 28 global cities by Julius Bar's Global Wealth and Lifestyle Report 2020 — the prices being measured in US dollars — Mumbai is the cheapest city for hiring a personal trainer, throwing a wedding banquet and buying an Ermenegildo Zegna men's suit. It was also the second cheapest city to hire a lawyer, buy a watch or have lasik eye surgery. In fact, Mumbai is the cheapest city for high-end living among this club of 28, which includes Hong Kong, New York, Paris, London, Tokyo, Istanbul, Mexico City, Manila and Johannesburg, among others.Luxury on the cheapMusic to the ears? The report reveals that buying a Steinway & Sons Grand Piano in Mumbai is much more expensive than buying a luxury car, such as a BMW 7 Series hybrid. This, in a country, where the luxury goods market, valued at $8.3 billion, is said to be growing at 6% annually.Lopsided luxury_Cities to avoid: Interestingly, four of the five most expensive cities are in Asia — the most expensive being Hong Kong, followed by Shanghai, Tokyo, New York and Singapore. In experiential luxury, such as fine dining, Rio de Janeiro is the most expensive city for a bottle of Chateau Lafite Rothschild red wine as also for whisky — due to the high import duties there. New York is avoidable for weddings, which will cost on an average $218,213 — and let's just hope you don't require any legal aid when in Hong Kong, where lawyers charge an average of $1,050 for a simple will consultation. BEFORE YOU GO10. A taste of El Chapo, served cold10. A taste of El Chapo, served coldAlejandrina Guzman hopes her father's fame will create demand for her newly-launched craft beer brand. Alejandrina is the daughter of Joaquin Guzman. Yes, that Guzman — El Chapo, the drug lord. The beer brand? "El Chapo", of course! The daughter, safe to say, wants the world to get a taste of El Chapo, from the comfort of a living room or a bar."El Chapo" is an artisanal beer, with 4% alcohol, a company spokesperson told Reuters. But perhaps you are a teetotaler? Worry not, Guzmans have you covered. The beer is just one of the products under "El Chapo 701" brand the daughter has launched; there is also a clothing line. Oh, in case the papers haven't told you, El Chapo is serving a life sentence in a prison in the US. Cheers to justice, then? 3 CURATED WEEKEND READS1. Toll of agitationThe idea of campus as a safe space has taken a beating. And stressed students are seeking medical help.2. The Tokyo job: Inside Carlos Ghosn’s escape to BeirutAn elite extraction team spirited the former CEO out of Japan by studying hotel layouts and airport security.3. The Syrian refugees who went to ButeOnce a popular holiday destination, the Scottish isle where Emma Irving hails from has suffered in recent decades. But four years ago, at Christmas, things started to change. Answer To NEWS IN CLUESAnswer to NEWS IN CLUESAlphabet. It became the fourth company to reach a trillion dollars in market value, after Apple, Microsoft and Amazon — and incidentally, the second trillion dollar company to be headed by an Indian origin CEO, Sundar Pichai with Satya Nadella of Microsoft being the other. It was founded on the lines of how Warren Bufett’s holding company, Berkshire Hathaway operates, as a parent company of Google by its founders who include Sergey Brin, an immigrant to the US from the former Soviet Union and Larry Page. Follow news that matters to you in real-time.Join 3 crore news enthusiasts. GET APPCompiled by: Judhajit Basu, Rakesh Rai, Sumil Sudhakaran, Tejeesh N.S. Behl Are you reading this in Gmail?To continue receiving updates from the Times of India, kindly move our emails to primary folder.Thanks for reading.

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DescriptionMeghalaya is a hilly state in northeastern India. The name means "the abode of clouds" in Sanskrit. The population of Meghalaya as of 2016 is estimated to be 3,211,474. Meghalaya covers an area of approximately 22,430 square kilometres, with a length to breadth ratio of about 3:1. WikipediaCapital: ShillongPLAN A TRIPMeghalaya travel guide15 h flightDESTINATIONSShillongGuwahatiCherrapunji‎MawlynnongDawkiMāwsynrāmNongriatUmiamView allPEOPLE ALSO SEARCH FORMizoramArunachal PradeshNagalandManipurSikkimTripuraAssamHimachal PradeshView allMore about MeghalayaPEOPLE ALSO ASKWhat is Meghalaya famous for?Is Meghalaya safe for tourists?

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The state is bounded to the south by the Bangladeshi divisions of Mymensingh and Sylhet, to the west by the Bangladeshi division of Rangpur, and to the north and east by India's State of Assam. The capital of Meghalaya is Shillong. During the British rule of India, the British imperial authorities nicknamed it the "Scotland of the East".[7] Meghalaya was previously part of Assam, but on 21 January 1972, the districts of Khasi, Garo and Jaintia hills became the new state of Meghalaya. English is the official language of Meghalaya. Unlike many Indian states, Meghalaya has historically followed a matrilineal system where the lineage and inheritance are traced through women; the youngest daughter inherits all wealth and she also takes care of her parents.[7]The state is the wettest region of India, recording an average of 12,000 mm (470 in) of rain a year.[6] About 70% of the state is forested.[8] The Meghalaya subtropical forests ecoregion encompasses the state; its mountain forests are distinct from the lowland tropical forests to the north and south. The forests are notable for their biodiversity of mammals, birds, and plants.Meghalaya has predominantly an agrarian economy with a significant commercial forestry industry. The important crops are potatoes, rice, maize, pineapples, bananas, papayas, spices, etc. The service sector is made up of real estate and insurance companies. Meghalaya's gross state domestic product for 2012 was estimated at ₹16,173 crore (US$2.3 billion) in current prices.[9] The state is geologically rich in minerals, but it has no significant industries.[7] The state has about 1,170 km (730 mi) of national highways. It is also a major logistical center for trade with Bangladesh.[6]In July 2018, the International Commission on Stratigraphy divided the Holocene epoch into three,[10][11] with the late Holocene being called the Meghalayan stage/age,[12][13] since a speleothem in Mawmluh cave indicating a dramatic worldwide climate event around 2250 BC had been chosen as the.Ancient EditMeghalaya, along with the neighbouring Indian states, have been of archaeological interest. People have lived here since Neolithic era. Neolithic sites discovered so far are located in areas of high elevation such as in Khasi Hills, Garo Hills and neighbouring states. Here neolithic style jhum or shifting cultivation is practised even today. The highland plateaus fed by abundant rains provided safety from floods and a rich soil.[15] The importance of Meghalaya is its possible role in human history through domestication of rice. One of the competing theories for the origin of rice, is from Ian Glover, who states, "India is the center of greatest diversity of domesticated rice with over 20,000 identified species and Northeast India is the most favorable single area of the origin of domesticated rice."[16] The limited archaeology done in the hills of Meghalaya suggest human settlement since ancient times.[17]After the Conquest of Taraf in 1304, Shah Arifin Rafiuddin, a disciple of Shah Jalal, migrated and settled in the Khasi and Jaintia Hills where he preached Islam to the local people. His khanqah remains in Sarping/Laurergarh on the Bangladeshi border but the part containing his mazar is in Meghalaya on top of Laur Hill.[18]Modern history EditThe British discovery of Camellia sinensis in 1834 in Assam and later companies to renting land from 1839 onwards.[19]Meghalaya was formed by carving out two districts from the state of Assam: the United Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, and the Garo Hills on 21 January 1972. Before attaining full statehood, Meghalaya was given semi-autonomous status in 1970.[20]The Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia tribes had their own kingdoms until they came under British administration in the 19th century. Later, the British incorporated Meghalaya into Assam in 1835.[7] The region enjoyed semi-independent status by virtue of a treaty relationship with the British Crown. When Bengal was partitioned on 16 October 1905 by Lord Curzon, Meghalaya became a part of the new province of Eastern Bengal and Assam. However, when the partition was reversed in 1912, Meghalaya became a part of the province of Assam. On 3 January 1921 in pursuance of Section 52A of the Government of India Act of 1919, the governor-general-in-council declared the areas now in Meghalaya, other than the Khasi states, as "backward tracts." Subsequently, the British administration enacted the Government of India Act of 1935, which regrouped the backward tracts into two categories: "excluded" and "partially excluded" areas.At the time of Indian independence in 1947, present-day Meghalaya constituted two districts of Assam and enjoyed limited autonomy within the state of Assam. A movement for a separate Hill State began in 1960.[20] The Assam Reorganisation (Meghalaya) Act of 1969 accorded an autonomous status to the state of Meghalaya. The Act came into effect on 2 April 1970, and an autonomous state of Meghalaya was born out of Assam. The autonomous state had a 37-member legislature in accordance with the Sixth Schedule to the Indian constitution.In 1971, the Parliament passed the North-Eastern Areas (Reorganization) Act, 1971, which conferred full statehood on the autonomous state of Meghalaya. Meghalaya attained statehood on 21 January 1972, with a Legislative Assembly of its own.Meghalaya is one of the Seven Sister States of northeast India. The state of Meghalaya is mountainous, with stretches of valley and highland plateaus, and it is geologically rich. It consists mainly of Archean rock formations. These rock formations contain rich deposits of valuable minerals like coal, limestone, uranium and sillimanite.Meghalaya has many rivers. Most of these are rainfed and seasonal. The important rivers in the Garo Hills region are Ganol, Daring, Sanda, Bandra, Bugai, Dareng, Simsang, Nitai and the Bhupai. In the central and eastern sections of the plateau, the important rivers are Khri, Umtrew, Digaru, Umiam or Barapani, Kynshi (Jadukata), Umngi, Mawpa, Umiam Khwan, Umngot, Umkhen, Myntdu and Myntang. In the southern Khasi Hills region, these rivers have created deep gorges and several beautiful waterfalls.Farming on hilly terrain (tea plantation).The elevation of the plateau ranges between 150 m (490 ft) to 1,961 m (6,434 ft). The central part of the plateau comprising the Khasi Hills has the highest elevations, followed by the eastern section comprising the Jaintia Hills region. The highest point in Meghalaya is Shillong Peak, which is a prominent IAF station in the Khasi Hills overlooking the city of Shillong. It has an altitude of 1961 m. The Garo Hills region in the western section of the plateau is nearly plain. The highest point in the Garo Hills is Nokrek Peak with an altitude of 1515 m.The town of Sohra (Cherrapunji) in the Khasi Hills south of capital Shillong holds the world record for most rain in a calendar month, while the village of Mawsynram, near Sohra (Cherrapunji), holds the record for the most rain in a year.[23]Flora and fauna EditSee also: Meghalaya subtropical forestsMeghalaya's forests host 660 species of birds[24] and numerous species of other wildlife. Peacock pheasant (top) and hoolock gibbon (bottom) are found in Meghalaya.[25]About 70% of the state is forested, of which 9,496 km2 (3,666 sq mi) is dense primary subtropical forest.[8] The Meghalayan forests are considered to be among the richest botanical habitats of Asia. These forests receive abundant rainfall and support a vast variety of floral and faunal biodiversity. A small portion of the forest area in Meghalaya is under what are known as "sacred groves" (see Sacred groves of India). These are small pockets of an ancient forest that have been preserved by the communities for hundreds of years due to religious and cultural beliefs. These forests are reserved for religious rituals and generally remain protected from any exploitation. These sacred groves harbour many rare plant and animal species. The Nokrek Biosphere Reserve in the West Garo Hills and the Balphakram National Park in the South Garo Hills are considered to be the most biodiversity-rich sites in Meghalaya. In addition, Meghalaya has three wildlife sanctuaries. These are the Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, the Siju Sanctuary, and the Baghmara Sanctuary, which is also the home of the insect-eating pitcher plant Nepenthes khasiana also called "Me'mang Koksi" in local language.Due to diverse climatic and topographic conditions, Meghalaya forests support a vast floral diversity, including a large variety of parasites, epiphytes, succulent plants and shrubs. Two of the most important tree varieties are Shorea robusta (sal tree) and Tectona grandis (teak). Meghalaya is also the home to a large variety of fruits, vegetables, spices, and medicinal plants. Meghalaya is also famous for its large variety of orchids — nearly 325 of them. Of these, the largest variety is found in the Mawsmai, Mawmluh and Sohrarim forests in the Khasi hills.Nepenthes khasianaMeghalaya also has a large variety of mammals, birds, reptiles and insects.[26] The important mammal species include elephants, bear, red pandas,[27] civets, mongooses, weasels, rodents, gaur, wild buffalo,[28] deer, wild boar and a number of primates. Meghalaya also has a large variety of bats. The limestone caves in Meghalaya such as the Siju Cave are home to some of the nation's rarest bat species. The hoolock gibbon is found in all districts of Meghalaya.[29]Common reptiles in Meghalaya are lizards, crocodiles and tortoises. Meghalaya also has a number of snakes including the python, copperhead, green tree racer, Indian cobra, king cobra, coral snake and vipers.[30]Meghalaya's forests host 660 species of birds, many of which are endemic to Himalayan foothills, Tibet and Southeast Asia. Of the birds found in Meghalaya forests, 34 are on worldwide threatened species list and 9 are on the critically endangered list.[24] Prominent birds spotted in Meghalaya include those from the families of Phasianidae, Anatidae, Podicipedidae, Ciconiidae, Threskiornithidae, Ardeidae, Pelecanidae, Phalacrocoracidae, Anhingidae, Falconidae, Accipitridae, Otididae, Rallidae, Heliornithidae, Gruidae, Turnicidae, Burhinidae, Charadriidae, Glareolidae, Scolopacidae, Jacanidae, Columbidae, Psittacidae, Cuculidae, Strigidae, Caprimulgidae, Apodidae, Alcedinidae, Bucerotidae, Ramphastidae, Picidae, Campephagidae, Dicruridae, Corvidae, Hirundinidae, Cisticolidae, Pycnonotidae, Sylviidae, Timaliidae, Sittidae, Sturnidae, Turdidae, Nectariniidae and Muscicapidae.[24] Each of these families have many species. The great Indian hornbill is the largest bird in Meghalaya. Other regional birds found include the grey peacock pheasant, the large Indian parakeet, the common green pigeon and the blue jay.[31] Meghalaya is also home to over 250 species of butterflies, nearly a quarter of all butterfly species found in India.Meghalaya is one of three states in India to have a Christian majority. About 75% of the population practices Christianity, with Presbyterians, Baptists and Catholics the more common denominations.[33] .The religion of the people in Meghalaya is closely related to their ethnicity. Close to 90% of the Garo tribe and nearly 80% of the Khasi are Christian, while more than 97% of the Hajong, 98.53% of the Koch, and 94.60% of the Rabha tribes are Hindu.[citation needed]Hindus are the largest religious minority in Meghalaya with 11.52% of the total state's population as of 2011 census[33]Hindus are concentrated mainly in West Garo Hills, East Khasi Hills and Ri-Bhoi with 19.11 percent, 17.55 percent and 11.96 percent respectively.The Nartiang Durga Temple in Meghalaya is a famous Hindu temple and it is one of the 51 Shakti peethas on Earth.[34]Muslims constitute 4.39% of the population[33] The Muslims are concentrated mainly in West Garo Hills with 16.60 percent.[35]Conversion from indigenous to Christianity began in the 19th century under the British era. In the 1830s, American Baptist Foreign Missionary Society had become active in Northeast to convert indigenous tribes to Christianity.[36] Later, they were offered to expand and reach into Cherrapunji Meghalaya, but they lacked the resources to do so and declined. Welsh Presbyterian Mission took the offer and they began work at the Cherrapunji mission field. By the early 1900s, other Protestant denominations of Christianity were active in Meghalaya. The outbreak of World Wars forced the preachers to return home to Europe and America. It is during this period that Catholicism took root in Meghalaya and neighbouring region. In the 20th century, Union Christian College started operations at Barapani, Shillong. Currently, Presbyterians and Catholics are two most common Christian denominations found in Meghalaya.[37]State government EditThe Meghalaya Legislative Assembly has 60 members at present. Meghalaya has two representatives in the Lok Sabha, one each from Shillong and Tura. It also has one representative in the Rajya Sabha.Since the creation of the state the Gauhati High Court has jurisdiction in Meghalaya. A Circuit Bench of the Guwahati High Court has been functioning at Shillong since 1974. However recently in March 2013 the Meghalaya High Court was separated from the Gauhati High Court and now the state has its own High Court.Local self-government EditNE Autonomous divisions of India.svgTo provide local self-governance machinery to the rural population of the country, provisions were made in the Constitution of India; accordingly, the Panchayati Raj institutions were set up. However, on account of the distinct customs and traditions prevailing in the northeast region, it was felt necessary to have a separate political and administrative structure in the region.[citation needed] Some of the tribal communities in the region had their own traditional political systems, and it was felt that Panchayati Raj institutions may come into conflict with these traditional systems. The Sixth Schedule was appended to the Constitution on the recommendations of a subcommittee formed under the leadership of Gopinath Bordoloi, and the constitution of Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) is provided in certain rural areas of the northeast including areas in Meghalaya. The ADCs in Meghalaya are the Khasi Hills Autonomous District CouncilGaro Hills Autonomous District CouncilJaintia Hills Autonomous District CouncilEconomy Urban areas Culture and society EditThe main tribes in Meghalaya are the Khasis, the Garos, and the Jaintias. Each tribe has its own culture, traditions, dress, and language.

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