Chief of the Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) Pyniaid Sing Syiem on Monday presented a Rs 4,33,410 deficit budget for the financial year 2024-2025.
Presenting the budget estimates during the first day of the council’s budget session, Syiem said, “There is a deficit in the budget estimate since the proposed expenditure at Rs 329,07,00,710 is higher than the council’s revenue receipts which is at Rs 329, 02, 67,300 .”
He however assured the house that the executive committee (EC) will try its best to find out ways and means to improve the revenue collection of the Council.
Syiem said the expenditure and receipts of the Council in the last budget of 2023-24 will however reflect in the budget for 2025-26 as the calculation is yet to be received.
The budget allocation will help in disbursing the salaries of members of the council, chairperson, deputy chairman, leader of opposition, executive members (EMs), officers and staff of the different departments (executive, legislative and judicial) of the Council.
The chief executive member also highlighted the steps taken by the executive committee during 2023-24 for improving the functioning of the council and its revenue generation capacity.
These include the passing of the Administration of Elaka (Amendment) Bill, 2023, United Khasi Jaintia Hills District Fishery (Amendment)Bill, 2023 and the Khasi Hills Autonomous District (Khasi Social Custom of Lineage) (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
He said the issuing of building permission of the executive committee through the Khasi Hills Building and Structure Regulatory Authority (KHBSRA) has to a great extent address the problems faced by the people and the revenue collected from the building permission has also helped improve the council’s exchequer.
Syiem said that the council is facing some problems in regards to the issuing of Land Title Right Certificate due to some notification of the state government.
“We are taking up the matter with the state government and we hope that it will be resolved very soon since the fees collected from the issuing of land title right certificate will also add to the revenue of the council,” he said.
He also informed that the executive committee has been proactive in checking against illegal trading by non-tribal.
Further, Syiem informed that the release of grants under the Finance Commission has been slow due to change in the implementation of the schemes. “The EC has recently uploaded all schemes in the e-Gram Swaraj portal and we hope that the government of India will soon release the funds to the council under the urban local bodies,” he said.
He also announced that the council will start maintaining land records under its jurisdiction with the help of the National Land Records Modernisation Programme (NLRMP).
Referring to the success of the recently concluded Monolith Festival, the CEM informed that the EC will soon introduce a Bill to ensure the festival is held once in a year for promoting and preserving the rich culture and heritage of the Khasi community.
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