SHILLONG: There is a demand to include Autonomous District Councils for annual finance award by Finance Commission.
In a letter addressed to Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and copies sent to other concerned ministers, P. B. M. Basaiawmoit, Consultant to North East Dialogue Forum said that there is need to amend article 280 to the Constitution of India so as to include Autonomous District Councils for annual finance award by Finance Commission
At present there are 10 Autonomous District Councils created as per provisions of the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution (3 each in Assam, Meghalaya and Mizoram and one in Tripura)
Basaiawmoit said that district councils in Meghalaya are not strong in view of provisions in para 12-A (a) coupled with recent rulings and strictures by the Meghalaya High Court.
“And to make matters even worse, the councils do not have financial resources to run the administration and execute decisions for promoting and empowering tribals and their institutions, including culture and traditions”, he said.
Basaiawmoit has urged Jaitley to include the district councils in the 2016-17 budget allocation and more importantly, to include them in Article 280 along with panchayats and municipalities for permanent and regular finance award from the Finance Commission.
“ This will do justice to them and corroborate with Article. 275 as well continue with the spirit of the Sixth Schedule as envisaged by the founding fathers of India’s Constitution and drafted under the chairmanship of late Gopinath Bordoloi”, he said.
The letter also referred to the decisions arrived at the meeting of ADCs held on May 27 and 28 last year at Thadlaskein.
The meeting adopted a resolution to urge the Centre to bring an amendment to Article 280 “whereby a sub clause be inserted to include Autonomous District Councils for receiving direct funding from the Consolidated Fund of India so as to support programme and projects undertaken by the respective Councils including administrative expenses for running the legislative, judicial and administrative wings of the Councils.
