‘Include ADCs for annual finance award’

Khasi hills autonomous district council
Khasi hills autonomous district council

SHILLONG, FEB 17: The North East Dialogue Forum (NEDF) has urged the centre to amend Article 280 to the Constitution of India to include the Autonomous District Councils (ADCs) in Meghalaya for annual finance award by the Finance Commission.

In a letter submitted to the union finance minister Arun Jaitley, NEDF consultant Rev PBM Basaiawmoit said, “We urged the centre to include the ADCs in Art 280 along with panchayats and municipalities for permanent and regular finance award from the Finance Commission.”

“For the upliftment of tribals, we also urged you to include the ADCs in the 2016-2017 budget allocation,” he said.

According to him, this will do justice to them and corroborate with Article 275 as well as continue with the spirit of the Sixth Schedule as envisaged by the founding fathers of India’s Constitution and drafted under the chairmanship of  (L)  Gopinath  Bordoloi,  former  chief  minister  of  composite  Assam.

Basaiawmoit also pointed  there  are  10 Autonomous  District  Councils  (ADCs)  created  as  per  provisions  of  the  Sixth  Schedule which include  3  in  Assam, as per  para 12; 3  in  Meghalaya  as  per  para  12-A;   3  in  Mizoram  as  per  para  12-B  and;   one  in  Tripura  as  per  para  12-AA.

“You  would  find  that  paras  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8  9,  10,  11  are  quite  exhaustive  though  ADCs  in  the  state  of  Meghalaya  are  not  that  strong  in  view  of  provisions  in  para  12-A  (a)  and  with  recent  rulings  and  strictures  made  by  the  Meghalaya  High  Court, the  mentioned  ADCs  are  caught  in  a  quandary,” he said.

He also said, “And  to  make  matters  even  worse  the ADCs do  not  have  financial  resources  to  run  the  administration  and  execute  decisions  for  promoting  and  empowering  tribals  and  their  institutions,  including  culture  and  traditions.”

He said by not  being  includng  in  Art 280  and  marginalised  in  Art  275,  such  ADCs  cannot  carry  out the  mandate  given  in  the  Sixth  Schedule  as per  paras  mentioned  above.-By Our Reporter

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