Guwahati: The Meghalaya Cabinet on August 19 approved amendments to the laws governing three private universities, with the changes aimed at aligning their administrative structures with University Grants Commission (UGC) regulations.
The Cabinet approved the Maharashtra Institute of Technology of Meghalaya (Amendment) Bill, 2026, and the Mahatma Gandhi University (Amendment) Bill, 2026.
Under the proposed amendments, the Governor will become the Visitor of both universities. This replaces existing provisions that allowed the respective sponsoring bodies to nominate the Visitor.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said the changes were intended to bring greater consistency to the functioning of private universities in Meghalaya while ensuring that their governance structures meet regulatory requirements.
The amendments will also increase the state government’s representation in the management bodies of both institutions. Government nominees on the Board of Management will increase from one to two, while representation on the Board of Governors will rise from two to three.
The Cabinet also cleared the Martin Luther Christian University (Amendment) Bill, 2026, with changes aimed at bringing the institution’s functioning in line with UGC norms.
Under the proposed amendment, the university will be restricted to operating within Meghalaya. The provisions that currently allow it to conduct distance education and affiliate colleges will also be removed.
Sangma said the amendments were aimed at ensuring that the administrative and operational framework of the three universities remains consistent with applicable regulatory requirements.