KHADC needs Centre’s aid: Martle

SHILLONG: Veteran politician and Hill State People’s Democratic Party (HSPDP) Legislator Martle Mukhim said that the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is in need of financial assistance from the Centre in view of the waning resources of the Council.
“Our resources are waning from time to time. The state is also not in a position to extend development package, so we are bound to go to the Centre”, he told The Shillong Times.
He advocated the idea of getting assistance from the Central pool through the state so as to ensure better coordination amongst the three entities — Centre, state and district council.
He said that albeit talks of direct funding, it was not found feasible considering the federal structure of the Indian government, subsequently, the state cannot be neglected.
“Not to wholly depend on the state but to get the Centre’s assistance. The Council will have to go through the state to get funds from Centre,” he said adding that there are development schemes from the Union government.
Mukhim said that the KHADC is in a financial crisis as the resources are reducing and cited the example of not getting royalty from broomstick after the government categorised it as an agro-forestry product as one of the reasons of reduced resources.
However, he expressed concern that even though the Centre aided the Council in the past, but it was not as much as the expectations.
Education
Mukhim, who is also the Executive Member in-charge of Education department, said, “Education department is one of the important subjects and Council should play a role so as to preserve and protect the language, customs and traditions.”
“The role of the district council is to strengthen the primary education so that the very basic knowledge of Khasi language and its tradition is imparted to the young ones,” he said.
He added that the department will give suggestions to the directorate of Arts and Culture with regard to preserving and protecting the language. Commenting on the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution, he said that it is important in the context of strengthening of primary education.