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About Williamnagar

Williamnagar is the district headquarters of the East Garo Hills district of the state of Meghalaya. The beautiful Simsang River flows by the town of Williamnagar. The town is christened after Captain Williamson A. Sangma, the founder Chief Minister of the state of Meghalaya. The township was planned around the former village of Sim Sanggre one the plain lands of the Simsang river, in 1976 after the Garo Hills district was re-organized to carve out a new district called the East Garo Hills district.

History


The place where the Williamnagar town is located is of great historical importance as the Garos made their last major resistance to the British intrusion into the Garo Hills during the year 1837. The legendary Garo leader Pa Togan Nengminja Sangma was felled by the British in Chisobibra on the outskirts of Williamnagar on 12th December 1837. This place is a good tourist destination where people come to view the place of the rebellion.

Demography


According to the 2001 census, Williamnagar had a population of 18,251. The average literacy rate is 67% and the population percentage of males to females is 52% to 48%.

Economy


The economy of the East Garo Hills district is agrarian and rural based. Agriculture is the backbone of about 90 percent of the population of East Garo Hills and they earn their livings directly or indirectly from agriculture. Consistently, agriculture in the district is mostly of food crops and it is only in the recent years that agriculture in cash crops has started gaining popularity. There is a great budding for agro-based industries in the district. 

Know about Willamnagar Distrcit of Meghalaya
The most important food crop that is grown in the district is rice, both in the plains as well as in the hills. Other food crops that are generally grown in the district are yam, maize, tapioca or manioc and millet. The district produces substantial quantities of fruits like pineapples, oranges, jack fruit, bananas and spices like, turmeric, ginger, chillies and bay leaves.


For the past few years, there has been an increase in the coverage of plantation crops like coffee, cashew nuts, rubber and tea. The latest horticultural introduction is vanilla vines. There is also field for floriculture to flourish, due to favorable climate endorsing low cost cultivation. The district is excellent for growing orchids and tropical blooms like bird of paradise (Strelitzia Reginae) and anthodium. Nevertheless, the market potential for flowers is still at its growing, developmental stage.

Despite the economy of the state is largely rural, agriculture and agro-based industries have not been fully used in the district. There is huge potential for development and investment in food processing and an ample scope for setting up a viable large-scale fruit processing units in the district. Apart from agriculture, a small part of the economy is occupied in small-scale industries such as weaving and sericulture, animal husbandry and dairy farming, bamboo working and carpentry & brick-making etc. Mining is another important industry in the district. The district has large reserves of limestone, coal and clay.


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