Union Minister Scindia launches Mission “Golden Spice” for Meghalaya’s Lakadong Turmeric

The Union Minister for Communications and Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, together with the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Shri Conrad K. Sangma, today launched the “Mission Golden Spice – Integrated Lakadong Turmeric Value Chain Enhancement Project”, a ₹175.45-crore convergence-led initiative for turmeric cultivation and value-chain development in the State of Meghalaya.

Shri Scindia, said the launch was part of Prime Minister Modi’s vision for “Ashtalakshmi” — India’s eight northeastern states — which he described as having moved from the periphery to the centre of India’s developmental paradigm over the past twelve years

Smt. Nivedita Shukla Verma, Secretary, MDoNER, in her introductory remarks, elaborated on the implementation framework of the Mission and highlighted the need for a mission-mode approach to unlock the full economic potential of Meghalaya’s Lakadong turmeric

The Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K. Sangma, said the Mission built on years of institutional groundwork laid by the state government, officials and farmers, and reflected the Union Government’s “mission mode” approach of identifying one unique product from each North Eastern state and building a complete, replicable model around it.

The launch event was also attended by Dr. Emmanuel Kumar, industry representative and natural products expert, senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, the North Eastern Council (NEC), APEDA and the Government of Meghalaya, along with farmer producer organisation leaders, industry partners and thousands of turmeric farmers who joined the launch virtually from the Jaintia Hills.(UPDATED ON 21ST JULY 2026)