SHILLONG, Nov 11: Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma staunchly defended his government’s decision to hold two State Cabinet meetings in Tura and Jowai under the ‘Cabinet on the Move’ programme, saying that the decision was aimed at bring governance closer to people from all corners of the state.
The chief minister was reacting to the Opposition jibe that the move was simply a waste of public money.
Revealing that the expenditure incurred in the two meetings was over Rs 19.18 lakh, the chief minister defended the programme as people oriented.
Congress MLA, Zenith Sangma, however, downplayed the effectiveness of holding Cabinet meetings in different districts. “How can the government connect with people when nobody is allowed to even enter the venue where the meeting is being held?” Zenith questioned.
The Congress MLA further stated that all the officers in the districts were engaged during the Cabinet meeting and as a result the normal functioning of the district administration was paralysed.
The Chief Minister countered the allegations stating that besides the Cabinet meeting, several review meetings were also held thereby giving ministers a feel of the situation on ground in the districts.
“When ministers sit with officers in Tura or Jowai they feel more connected. There is a review of each department. For instance when the meeting was held at Tura, Health Minister AL Hek was able to review the Megha Health Insurance Scheme. It was then that the issue of high infant and maternal mortality surfaced. These district meetings bring a much deeper sense of commitment,” the chief minister said.
He reiterated the importance of the Cabinet meetings in the districts, saying, “We cannot make decisions by sitting in Shillong as there are specific issues of the districts and with this programme, we are able to connect with people in a better way.”
In reply to a question from Zenith about the fate of the programme, the chief minister said that the programme has been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic.