KHADC to nudge govt on Clan Bill

SHILLONG, March 15: Elections over, now it is time for nudging the new dispensation with unresolved pending issues, including the contentious Clan bill.
The KHADC Executive Committee (EC) will soon meet Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong to expedite the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Clan Administration) Bill, 2022.
The council passed the bill during its summer session on July 8 last year but was not disposed of by the state government.
“We have decided to meet the Deputy Chief Minister, who is in charge of District Council Affairs (DCA) to know about the clan bill which is yet to be sent to the Governor for his assent,” KHADC Chief Executive Member (CEM) Titosstarwell Chyne said after the meeting of the EC here on Wednesday.
The bill seeks to penalise non-tribals for using Khasi surnames and codify and regulate the system of Kur (clan) of the Khasi-Jaintia tribe.
It also provides for the proper administration of clans in order to conserve and grow the traditional matrilineal system of the Khasi society for the protection of their interest and prevent claims of Khasi status by unscrupulous persons purely for benefits, concessions or privileges conferred on the Khasis for being STs.
Chyne said they will be urging the state government to give the council the authority for issuing the Scheduled Tribes certificate as it was done in the past.
The KHADC CEM also said a decision has been taken to convene the meeting of the three autonomous district councils – KHADC, JHADC and GHADC – to discuss the issue of the Uniform Civil Code.
The EC has decided to expedite the implementation of the tide schemes worth Rs 18 crore yet to be released to the MDCs besides urging the select committee to submit its report on the inheritance bill to come up during the next session of the council.
“We will also start the exercise to prepare the full budget of the council since we had passed only the vote on account for three months in the recently concluded session.