How Meghalaya moved from an autonomous state to full statehood

Background

Meghalaya was carved out of Assam, first becoming an autonomous state within Assam on 2 April 1970 and then a full-fledged state on 21 January 1972. Shillong, which had served as the capital of undivided Assam since 1874, became the capital of the new state of Meghalaya. The state covers an area of 22,429 sq km and recorded a population of 29,66,889 at the 2011 Census, with a literacy rate of 74.43 per cent. Meghalaya today comprises 12 districts divided into 55 blocks spread across the Khasi, Jaintia and Garo Hills regions.