DIRECT FUNDING:
Comments on relevance of the Panchayati
Raj Institutions (PRI) vis-a-vis Meghalaya:
1.i The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (K.H.A.D.C.)
has no hesitation in endorsing the view that the imposition of the
Panchayati Raj system into the State of Meghalaya is uncalled for and
is to be resisted. Yet at the same time the K.H.A.D.C. also concurs
with the view that in the process we have lost out on availing Direct
Funding from the Panchayati Raj Ministry. We however beg to
differ on the assumption that there can be no attempt on this score,
that could satisfy the Central Government, to make the existing
Traditional Institutions in the state qualify for Direct Funding
similar to what the Panchayats are enjoying. This view is further
enforced by the fact that Meghalaya has been intentionally exempted
from the purview of the 73rd Amendment. This means that
there is clear perception in the Center of the distinct possibility
and scope for further strengthening of the existing Traditional grass
root Institutions of Meghalaya so to make them qualify as Panchayats,
infact maybe even better than Panchayats.
1.ii We have Traditional Institutions who are expected to
deliver local governance at the grassroot level. The fact however
remains that we have failed to improve and endow these Traditional
Institutions with the relevant legislation to empower them to act and
perform as per what is expected of them in the 21st
Century. Just because we have thus failed does in no way justify the
call for the termination and elimination of our Traditional
Institutions, which incidentally would be politically suicidal for any
Government to make even an attempt.
1.iii The K.H.A.D.C. does recognizes the need for change within
the working ethos of our Traditional Institutions so as to make them
relevant or at par with Panchayats envisaged in the 73rd
amendment. There is need to make our Traditional Institutions Gender
sensitive and for them to bring in women especially in the decision
making process of the Traditional Institutions. There is also need to
make our Traditional Institutions more responsive so that other marginalised sections of society are accorded space in Traditional
Institution deliberations. Last but not least there is a need to make
the system of administration in the Traditional Institutions more
participatory, transparent and accountable. These are the
characteristics of Panchayats that make Panchayats the ideal
institutions for the evolution of a bottom-up participatory model in
grassroot planning for development. The problem in Meghalaya is how to
evolve similar institution without doing away with our Traditional
Institutions?
1.iv In an attempt to make our Traditional Institutions (Durbars
& Akhings) more contemporary and in line with modern concepts of good
grass root governance (Incidentally as envisaged in Part IV,
Directive Principles of State Policy of the Constitution of
India). The K.H.A.D.C. has come up with a Bill called
the Khasi Hills
Autonomous District (Constitution and Administration of Community
Development Organisations) Bill, 2006 which has already been
submitted to the Governor for his assent. The salient features of this Bill are as
follows:
a. The Bill recognizes the
cultural sanctity and sensitivity of the Durbar Shnongs, Akhings etc
and also of the potential of making these Traditional Institutions of
Meghalaya potent grassroot institutions that are capable of bringing
in a participatory mode of local governance that will be both
Bottom-Up and Sustainable in nature.
b. The Bill however also recognizes the need
to evolve a grass-root institution that reflects the salient
characteristics of a Panchayat, especially due to the fact that the
exemption of Meghalaya from the 73rd Amendment has debarred
the state from the benefits of Direct Funding from the Panchayati Raj
Ministry and other Central Government institutions.
c. That to overcome the above and to place the
state at par with other main land states who are in receipt of the
blessings of Direct Funding,
the Khasi Hills Autonomous District
(Constitution and Administration of Community Development Organisations) Bill, 2006 was passed by the K.H.A.D.C. so as to
install characteristics of a Panchayat within the village community
without dissolving the Village Durbar.
d. This is possible because the 73rd
amendment nowhere calls for dissolution of the Traditional
Institutions. The spirit of the 73rd Amendment is for the
installation of institutions at the village level so as to enforce the
provisions of Part IV of the Constitution, i.e. the Directive
Principles of State Policy.
The Khasi Hills Autonomous District
(Constitution and Administration of Community Development Organisations) Bill, 2006 does just this and it is expected to
attract all the characteristics of a Panchayat so as to enable our
village communities to avail of Direct Funding. The Mechanism to
bring in:
The K.H.A.D.C. thus wishes
to observe that there is no need for pessimism on the subject as the
issue can be addressed without resort to any drastic measures such as
doing away with Traditional Institutions that will unnecessarily cause
political upheavals in the state.
We believe that the enactment of this Bill will be a
Win–Win situation for all concerned, as its ultimate benefits will be
for the people of Meghalaya.
