ACHIK highlights advantages of winter capital
ACHIK has organised awareness campaign on Winter Capital/Second Capital with Six A’khing Nokmas in Wangala Building Asanang.
The organization as a part of mobilisation had organised an awareness campaign with six A’khing Nokmas for the people residing in these Six A’khinglands.
Speaking on the occasion, the General Secretary Advocate Bernita R Marak gave a clarification on the Job Reservation Policy, 1972 and the emergence of Roster System which was a verdict of the High Court.
Advocate Bernita R Marak informed the participation about the history of the verdict of Roster System in Job Reservation Policy in Meghalaya.
She also clarified on the matters of cutoff date on Roster System and why Achik community needed to stand together on the issue.
The issue of Winter Capital was also brought up by the Education Secretary, Macklowrence M Sangma where he informed and clarified that the demand for the Second Capital in Tura is not a new one but has existed even before the creation of the state of Meghalaya.
He informed that Second Capital in Tura was in agreement with all the stakeholders during the creation of the state of Meghalaya.
He assured that ACHIK as an organization is working, mobilizing and working in tandem with the other organisations in Garo Hills.
He said that Winter Capital is not the issue of only one organization but it is the issue of the A•chik nation and regretted that some organization claims it as their issue.
He opined that Winter Capital or Second Capital should unite the Garos and other tribes or non tribals across the Garo Hills and hope to see the reality soon.
The realisation of the Winter Capital in Tura would depend on the Unity and the massive movements that the people Garo Hills can create, he concludes.
AIM against gambling in melas
The Awakening Indian Movement (AIM) has sought the intervention of the deputy commissioner of East Khasi Hills district to ensure a blanket ban on gambling at melas being organized by different agencies.
Speaking to media persons, chairman of AIM Bansharai Marbaniang said that many people from other part of the country come to Meghalaya to host various kinds of melas, however these melas have games that encourage gambling with money which is detrimental and have a negative impact on the welfare of the people.
Marbaniang alleged that melas throughout the country are being held in order to provide entertainment to all citizens where they can experience happiness especially for children, students, and youth but at present melas in Meghalaya are being held with gambling which have detrimental and a negative impact on the welfare of the people.
“During our visit to the mela held at the Parking Lot outside Polo Ground in Shillong, the mela hosted various gambling activities with money and young people and students in uniform participated in various gambling games” said Marbaniang.
Marbaniang said that AIM is not against organizing melas in the state, however it stands against the act of gambling that is being held at the venues hence the AIM sought the intervention into this matter.
Fight for Achiks must not be termed as ‘Greedy’
The Achik Conscious Holistically Integrated Krima (ACHIK) has said that fighting for the rights of the Achiks cannot be termed as “greedy”.
“The person who made the statement of terming the Achik nation and ACHIK greedy probably has not read the dictionary and the meaning of equity and justice,” public relation secretary of the ACHIK Hamrash N Marak said in a statement.
He said the subjective approach to any problem or issue would narrow the vision and the objective of any person and the organisation therefore pledges to study the Meghalaya Job Reservation Policy and the Roster System verdict of the Court.
The verdict of the roster system by the High Court was given because the HC found discrepancies in the implementation of JRP in the state.
Stating that the ACHIK demands for what is right and the rights of our community and nothing more, Marak said, “It is the duty of the government to repay for the injustice done to A•chiks for more than 50 years,” adding “It must be understood that no community can be suppressed, marginalised and deprived of their rights for years and cannot expect the community to fight back, and A•chik community is no less than any.”
He said that the ACHIK as a society has been organising and reaching out to the A•chik people in Garo Hills and the movement has just started which is getting larger every day and till the realisation of Second Capital in Tura and maintenance of equity and justice for A•chik people in case of Roster issue, the voices and echoes in the hills of Garo Hills shall not cease.
Cut off year for roster system should not be 1972: HNYM
Pushing ahead its demand for a review of the Reservation Policy and also moving ahead with the implementation of the roster system, the Hynniewtrep National Youth Movement (HNYM) has demanded that Chief Minister, Conrad Sangma calls for a special session of the State Assembly.
Speaking to media persons today, HNYM President Louis Dohtdong said that they are not against the roster system but it should either be implemented prospectively from the date of the notifying the office memorandum (MO) or it is up to the wisdom of the government with regard to the cut-off year but it should not be from 1972.
Dohtdong expressed concern about the continuous pressure from the Garo Hills region to continue with the implementation of the roster system from the year 1972 and alleged that this is purely biased towards the Garo community.
“We want to make it clear that we are not against the roster system but we are against the cut-off year hence we demand from the Chief Minister to convene a Special Session to review the Reservation policy and on how to go ahead with the roster system,” said Dohtdong.
Dohtdong said that the HNYM also demands from the state government to review and freshly implement the reservation policy as per population as the Khasi-Jaintia community is more when compared to the Garo community.
While condemning the A•chik Conscious Holistic Integrated Krima (ACHIK) for demanding that the cut-off year for the implementation of the Roster System to be 1972, Dohtdong alleged that the Garo Hills-based social organisation is being greedy.
He added that the Garos communities are the ones who have benefited from the reservation policy that allocates 40 per cent for the Khasi-Jaintia category and 40 per cent for Garos.
“The HNYM is ready to come to the streets if the state government continues to implement the roster system from 1972 as this cut-off year is unfair to the Khasi-Jaintia community” he added.
ACHIK demands cut-off date for roster system
The A·chik Conscious Holistic Integrated Krima (ACHIK) demanded that the cut-off date for implementation of the roster system should be retrospectively from 1972.
In a memorandum to Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong, ACHIK said, “(We) would like to reiterate the organization on behalf of the A·chik people openly take a stand that there would not be any compromise on the cutoff date and the organisation maintains the year 1972 to be considered for the roster system of Meghalaya Job Reservation Policy which is a system to bring equity to the injustices met out to the people of A·chik people.”
The organization also warned that “if any injustice is done to A·chik people, the organisation would resort to democratic rallies and demonstrations under the provisions of the Indian Constitution as the mobilisation by the organisation has already started throughout the Garo Hills.”
It also threatened to approach even the Apex court if injustice is meted out to the Achik people during the decisions to be taken by the Cabinet or an All-party meeting on the issue of the roster system.
Meanwhile, the ACHIK also sought the intervention of the deputy chief minister for establishing the winter capital or second capital in Tura.
According to them, the lethargic attitude of the government in establishing the winter capital or second capital in Tura has led the A·chik people to historical marginalization, economic deprivation, social discrimination and political exclusion, etc.
ADCs fail to submit UCs on central schemes
The autonomous district councils (ADCs) have failed to submit pending utilization certificates (UCs) for the implementation of various development schemes sanctioned by the Centre during 2017 – 2022.
Out of the grants of Rs 385.71 crore received as central grants during 2017-22, the ADCs could submit UCs for only Rs 129.63 crore (34%) of the total fund allotted, said the State Finances Audit Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India for the year ended March 31, 2022.
Non-submission of the UCs means that the authorities have not explained as to how funds were spent over the years or they were not spent, it said.
The CAG has suggested that the ADCs may be advised to submit the pending UCs.
Meanwhile, the report said that the annual accounts of the ADCs were in arrears for two to six years.
The outstanding annual accounts of the KHADC were from 2020-21 to 2021-22, JHADC from 2019-20 to 2021-22 and GHADC from 2016-17 to 2021-22.
As per the Fund Rules of JHADC and GHADC, the annual accounts were to be submitted to the PAG (Audit) by June 30 of each year but no prescribed date was mentioned in the Fund Rules of the KHADC.
The CAG said that persistent delay in the finalization of accounts is fraught with the risk of fraud and leakage of public money going undetected. It recommended that the state government may advise the ADCs to finalise the arrear accounts and submit them to the Principal Accountant General (Audit).