Editor,
I am a job card holder under MGNREGA, Betasing C&RD Block, South West Garo Hills and I wish to complain about irregular wage payment Why is the Central Govt not taking interest to ensure that this scheme works for the benefit of the poor? We helpless job card holders in the village working for our daily food cannot wait for weeks and months for our wages to ve paid because we buy our food every day. I don’t know if our ministers and officers eat only once in a while. We, the poor villagers work hard for our daily food. Please do not make us wait for 100 days before we receive our wages. Will someone come to our rescue?
Yours etc.,
Sengsrang Marak,
Betasing, Garo Hills
Clarification
Editor,
Apropos the Christmas feature story in the Canvas (ST Dec 23, 2012) I would just like to point out that the Natural Christmas tree on the All Saints’ Cathedral premises is looked after and decorated by the All Saints’ Cathedral, Church of North India (CNI) and not by the Presbyterian Church. Thank you. A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New year.
Yours etc.,
Shane Thomas,
Via email
Standing Up for the Cause
Editor,
Apropos the letter of Rev EH Kharkongor, Registrar, Martin Luther Christian University, Shillong published in your esteemed daily on the 22nd December 2012, we wish to make the following points:
The Registrar continues to contradict himself, despite the fact that all the documents availed from the University have been duly certified by the Public Information Officer of the MLCU as per the RTI Law. The Martin Luther Christian University is a Private University created by the Act of the State Legislature, i.e The Martin Luther Christian University Act 2005 and subsequently the Martin Luther Christian University becomes a Public Authority vide notification issued by the Commissioner and Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Education Department, dated 16 February 2007. Therefore “the men of the cloth” sincerely wish that the learned Registrar, who is solely responsible for the administrative affairs of the University is well versed and prudent enough to understand the legal status of his Institution vis a vis the RTI Law. The spirit of the RTI Law is to bring transparency and accountability in the functioning of any public authority. Thus no public authority whatsoever is exempted from public scrutiny.
During the National Convention on the Right to Information Movement held in Shillong there was a debate on the issue of coverage of the RTI Law to aspects which so far are still considered as grey areas such as religious institutions and NGOs. The men of the cloth” have been trained to read, understand, decipher even texts which are more than two thousand years old. Therefore, we meticulously and cautiously read, analyse and understand piles of file notes, documents, letters, emails etc availed under the RTI Law before we share the information with the public.
Apparently, in a sly manner the Registrar cautions the press as far as information about his Institution is concerned. May we educate the Registrar that free press is the backbone of our democracy and we wish that the press will live up to its freedom and continue to proactively disseminate information for the interest of the public at large. As far as the information availed by “the men of the cloth” under the RTI Law we wish to inform the public in general and the students in particular that there are more than meets the eye. The homily given by the Registrar that “the men of the cloth” had shared false, mischievous, selective information and a mere work of imagination, does not hold any water. Lastly, the Registrar repeatedly admits that the University had received the grant of Rs 10 lakhs from the State Government and that the amount is used for construction work at Umsawli. We wish to reiterate that as per the documents available under the RTI Law this amount had been released way back in 2010 and is meant for coaching classes. Seemingly the coaching classes had kicked off only at the end of 2012. So isn’t there a delay here? And delay does not mean denial? It is time to knock at every public authority’s door.
Yours etc.,
Rev K Pyrtuh,
ZM Sawkmie
Shillong-14