SHILLONG: HSPDP legislator Ardent Basaiawmoit on Wednesday alleged that the government has failed to adopt austerity measures to ensure that a spend cut in this budget is also maintained which is also one of the objectives of the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management.
Participating in the general discussion on the Budget, Basaiawmoit questioned the government over unnecessary expenditures.
He said that the government has earmarked Rs 2.8 crore for purchase of vehicles and the same was being done every year, while pointing out that it is an avoidable expenditure.
He also said that an amount of Rs 9.5 lakh is being earmarked as expenditure on the chairman, deputy chairman and vice chairman of Meghalaya Transport Corporation besides another Rs 16.35 lakh for the chief adviser to the government, which is easily avoidable.
He also questioned the allocation of Rs 13.56 crore for the administration of State Lotteries, despite the fact that the government was not earning any revenue from the same.
According to Basaiawmoit, the loan taken from the open market has increased every year. In 2011-2012 the increase was around 10.56%, in 2012-2013 the increase was around 13.12%, in 2013-2014 the increase was 11.20%, in 2014-2015 the increase was 14.76%, in 2015-2016 the increase was around 14.93% while in 2016-2017 the increase is projected at 15.87% and the overall average increase from 2011- 2017 is 13.045% which is frightening in nature.
He suggested the government to impose tax on all tobacco products besides suggesting that tax can be imposed for conducting fishing competition as this competition is getting popular with each passing day.
He also questioned whether Fast Track Courts are still functioning in the State since numerous cases of rapes and other crimes against women and children are being reported in Meghalaya and added that such cases should be tried by Fast Track Courts to ensure speedy justice to victims.
He also sought to know if the plan outlay of Rs 100 crore for 2016-2017 also includes expenditures for the ensuing by-elections to six vacant seats in KHADC and one vacant seat in JHADC.
He also wanted to know the deadline for the State government to achieve 100 per cent village and rural electrification while asking about the status of urban street lighting project in Shillong and Tura for which the State government had in 2013 signed a contract with Philips to install solar-powered street lights in Shillong and Tura.
“As it is today, most parts of Shillong City including areas under the Shillong municipality are not getting street light making these areas vulnerable to crimes and anti social activities,” he said.
He also inquired as to why existing roads in many parts of the State are in a pathetic condition.
He also lamented that students at the higher secondary level are not receiving their tribal scholarship since 2014-2015.
According to Basaiawmoit, most of the people in rural areas and even in urban areas do not know much about the Megha Health Insurance Scheme and its coverage. He observed that the State government should have carried out awareness programmes from time to time to enlighten people about the health insurance scheme.
He asserted that rural sanitation is the need of the hour and stated that the government should initiate steps through the Community & Rural Development department to carry out survey of households without toilets and to encourage such households to construct toilets with financial assistance from the government.
He also sought to known how much impact Aquaculture mission has had on the lives of people in the last four years as according to him not a single fish produced from local ponds set up under the mission has been sold in Iewduh or other markets and the fishes being sold in the markets are still the ones imported from Andhra Pradesh.
He also requested the State government to enhance the journalist welfare fund set up under the IPR department and also to provide pension benefits to senior journalists even as he reminded that the Assam government had in February this year announced that accredited journalists or journalists who are recognized by the DIPR in Assam will get Rs 5000 per month after attaining 60 years of age.
