Shillong, June 4: Asking for Meghalaya to be given its rightful dues in order to strengthen its rural governing structures in consonance with its traditional customary laws, Congress MP from Shillong, Vincent H. Pala has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to constitute a committee to study the same in order to validate the centuries-old system of traditional bodies here. At the same, with the validation of the system, it should be included as a beneficiary of allocation of funds that are made available for rural development and governance by the Centre.
In a letter to Prime Minister Modi on Friday, Pala said, “In order that Meghalaya’s entitlement for devolution of funds from the Centre for rural development and governance is formalised by the Centre without tweaking the customary laws relating to the election of functionaries in the village councils as are practised, we request the PMO to constitute a commission to study the finer details of their working and suggest measures to legally, constitutionally and financially strengthen them.”
He explained that the local bodies in Meghalaya are governed by tradition-bound customary laws, which do not conform to the local body governance norms as defined under the 73rd Amendment to the Constitution. The local headmen implement decisions taken in their respective dorbars, the traditional village institutions, on development works or welfare activities while also taking on the role of a Judge during dispute settlement.
Stating that the traditional local governance system in the State is at par with the Panchayati Raj institutions elsewhere in the country, the MP said the state is exempted from the 73rd Amendment Act under which local bodies at rural and urban setting elsewhere in the country are provided funds by the Finance Commission. However, there has been such an allocation sanctioned by the 15th Finance Commission for the state of Meghalaya for the 2021-2026. Although they used to receive one time financial grants from the Centre through state or Council, they do not get regular wages which affects the performance of their duties.
Asserting that the state’s traditional system have been deprived of this benefit, he said, “I would like to ensure that such allocations of grants by the Finance Commission are given in future as an entitlement of the state, rather than an ad hoc release of central funds for the development of villages which are in the lowest tier of the local body governance structure.”
He said the committee can study the local governance system in the State and the same can be examined by domain experts and Finance Commission and other constitutional bodies in order to validate the system and enable the state to receive funds and benefits that are provided to Panchayati Raj institutions on a regular basis.
