SHILLONG, Feb 26: Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla has asked the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) to ensure executive accountability.
Speaking at an outreach and familiarisation programme for local bodies of Meghalaya and other states of Northeast on Friday, Birla stressed that the ADCs, which function as mini legislative bodies, should ensure executive accountability through discussions and dialogues.
Observing that initiatives like “Vocal for Local” will boost local area development, he felt Atmanirbhar Bharat can be possible only through vocal for local.
The Speaker said the Act East Policy has opened up immense possibilities for the development of Northeast and the region should tap the opportunities to the maximum. He called for extensive use of ICT and innovation tools in local bodies to make their administration more transparent, accountable and accessible.
The Speaker further said the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and ADCs should deliberate upon developmental programmes encompassing concepts of inclusive growth, cooperation and collectivism and address the issues facing people.
Speaking on the balance between regional aspirations and national integration, Birla said both are important for strengthening democracy.
Urging the stakeholders of democratic institutions to solve all problems constructively through discussions and dialogues, he said national integration is the core value that all must prioritise.
“You are directly elected by the people. Therefore, people should be the focus of all your actions and programmes. You will have to develop necessary systems and procedures to achieve it,” he said.
Asserting that the ADCs play an important role in local development, Birla said their members have full knowledge of the strengths of local areas which can be optimally utilized for their socio-economic development.
He further said that local self-government is a symbol of democracy and development as it provides a framework for decentralization of democracy. It strengthens democracy at the grassroots level through which citizens get an opportunity to become a stakeholder in the local self-government of their area, he said.
He said Mawlynnong in East Khasi Hills, considered the cleanest village of India, is the best example of this. He said this could be made possible only due to the efforts of local bodies.
Pointing out that e-Panchayat has brought about revolutionary changes in the functioning of local self-governments, Birla urged the ADCs and the PRIs to make maximum use of the means of ICT and digital innovation in their functioning so the administration could be made more transparent, accountable and accessible to the people.
Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, Rameswar Teli said PRIs and other local bodies are powerful vehicles in nation-building. He emphasized that traditional values of democracy must be preserved for further deepening of democratic ethos at the grassroots level.
State Assembly Speaker, Metbah Lyngdoh stressed on the importance of maximising self-governance to not only empower people but also take governance to the doorsteps of the last mile of the population.
The state’s Minister for District Council Affairs Department, Lahkmen Rymbui was of the view that strong democratic institutions of governance are at the centre of development. He hoped that the outreach programme would prove to be immensely beneficial to the representatives of local bodies in Meghalaya and other states in the region.
Around 115 members of local bodies from across the Northeast attended the programme.