SHILLONG, July 23: With about one in every four people in Meghalaya below the age of eight years, the state government on Thursday placed early childhood development at the heart of its development agenda, insisting that investment in the care economy is crucial to shaping future workforce and sustaining long-term economic growth.
Making the case for treating care as an economic asset rather than a social obligation, Additional Chief Secretary Sampath Kumar said investments in young children yield long-term dividends by improving educational attainment, workforce readiness and overall productivity.
Addressing a workshop on “Creating a Well-Functioning Care Economy” at the Shillong College, he said Meghalaya has shifted towards a life-cycle model of development where public policy seeks to support citizens at every stage of life—from infancy to old age.
He said the state’s demographic profile makes such an approach imperative, with children aged up to eight years constituting nearly a quarter of the population.
According to Kumar, the earliest years of life determine much of a child’s future learning capacity, health and employability, making timely interventions in nutrition, care and early learning critical not only for individual well-being but also for the state’s long-term economic prospects.
Arguing that childcare cannot remain the sole responsibility of mothers, Kumar called for greater involvement of fathers in raising children, noting that scientific evidence shows that the overwhelming majority of brain development occurs before the age of five.
Creating supportive family environments during this period, he said, is fundamental to nurturing confident, healthy and productive citizens.
He said Meghalaya emerged as one of the few states in the country to pilot an integrated Early Childhood Development programme that combines nutrition, learning and parental engagement. Early outcomes, he said, indicate increased attendance at Anganwadi centres and measurable improvements in children’s learning, prompting other states to study Meghalaya’s model.
The workshop, organised by the Directorate of Social Welfare in collaboration with the Department of Sociology, Shillong College, explored the growing role of the care economy in public policy and sustainable development.
Participants discussed how stronger childcare systems, family support services and community-based care can simultaneously improve quality of life, expand employment opportunities and strengthen the state’s human capital.
Commissioner and Secretary Pravin Bakshi, Director of Social Welfare Saloni Verma and Dr. C. Joshua Thomas were among those present.
