Shillong, Jan 17 (IANS): Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Monday inaugurated the state's first engineering college -- the Shillong Government College of Engineering.

Officials said that the project was undertaken by the Rashtriya Uchchatar Shiksha Abhiyan (RUSA) and constructed at a cost of Rs 26 crore in about 7.8 acres of land within the campus of Shillong Polytechnic at Mawlai Kynton Massar in East Khasi Hills district.

The engineering college would cater to degree courses in three technical streams -- civil, electrical and mining -- with an intake capacity of 30 for each branch.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said that the focus of the government has been the youth for the past five years, and with that in mind the government has initiated a slew of programmes.

Sangma said that the government has surveyed and interacted with over 90,000 youths and has come up with a roadmap to channelise their potential.

Sangma added that different programmes related to entrepreneurship, sports and music that are being initiated by the government have been drawn from such studies.