SHILLONG, Nov 19: The Hynniewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) on Tuesday urged the District Council Affairs (DCA) department to ensure that the funds allocated by the Union Ministry of Finance directly benefit the genuine rural local bodies, namely the Dorbar Hima/Elaka, Dorbar Raid, and Dorbar Shnong, instead of depositing the funds with the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs).
HITO conveyed this request in a letter to the Joint Secretary of the DCA department.
Referring to the over Rs 266 crore in grants from the Fifteenth Finance Commission, specifically designated for rural local bodies in Kerala, the organisation said, “This generous funding aims to support all 14 eligible District Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats, and 941 Gram Panchayats throughout the state, ensuring that these vital bodies can effectively manage local governance and development.”
“In contrast, for Meghalaya, the government has allocated only Rs 27 crore for our three Autonomous District Councils — Khasi, Garo, and Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council. This allocation is puzzling and raises critical questions, as it lacks clarity on how the funds are to be distributed among the actual local governance structures in our state,” it added.
HITO pointed out that, unlike in Kerala, where funding is carefully categorised for each layer of governance, in Meghalaya, the Finance Ministry has opted to direct the funds solely to the three ADCs, inaccurately labelling them as rural local bodies.
The organisation stated that this situation represents a significant oversight by the Fifteenth Finance Commission and the Union Finance Ministry, as they have not adequately recognised the indigenous and traditional institutions within the three-tiered self-government system — the Dorbar Hima, Dorbar Raid, and Dorbar Shnong.
Highlighting that the current structure of the three Autonomous District Councils does not reflect true rural local governance, HITO noted that these Councils have evolved into party-dominated institutions foreign to the Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo people since being imposed in 1952. Today, they largely consist of representatives from major political parties, deviating significantly from the principles of genuine local governance.
HITO also highlighted the stark differences between the Autonomous District Councils and the traditional institutions of self-governance.
The organisation further stated that it is clear the Union Home Ministry has missed a crucial opportunity to address longstanding issues faced by the Khasi people, instead catering to larger political interests. “We urge the Dorbar Shnong to unite and engage in meaningful discussions about the misleading representations made by the three Autonomous District Councils to the Government of India. We remain committed to shedding light on these discrepancies in the interest of the people of Meghalaya,” HITO added.
HITO also raised a question: “If District Panchayats can receive funding directly, why should the Dorbar Shnong of Meghalaya not be similarly recognised and supported in the same way? For the past 72 years, the political entities and the elite bureaucracy of Meghalaya have neglected this critical issue, and it is time for change.”
