Parl secys no longer ‘ministers’

SHILLONG: With the Assembly Rules Committee amending a rule related to the parliamentary secretaries, they will not be considered as ministers anymore ending the pending controversy over the issue.
The report of the Rules Committee which was tabled in the Assembly on Friday said that a minister will now mean only a member of the council of ministers, a minister of state or a deputy minister and no longer a parliamentary secretary.
As per the existing definition, the minister also means a parliamentary secretary besides a member of the council of ministers, a minister of state or a deputy minister.
However, the Rules Committee in its meeting held on April 5 this year amended the Rule 2(1) (h) and deleted the word parliamentary secretary from the definition of a minister.
The Committee further inserted a new clause in Rule 2(1) which said that the parliamentary secretary means any person appointed under the Meghalaya Parliamentary Secretaries (Appointment, Salaries, Allowances and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2005.
While the Chairman of the Rules Committee was Speaker AT Mondal, other members included Metbah Lyngdoh, Remington Pyngrope and Ngaitlang Dhar.