Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sep 17: Opposition AITC leader and former chief minister Mukul Sangma said formation of militant groups will take place if there is corruption in the State.

He was reacting a query on the recent formation of a new militant outfit in Khasi-Jaintia Hills region – National Liberation Council of Nongkyndong (NLCN).

“Now in absence of jobs, in absence of opportunities or rather will you say in the circumstance where  you see robbing of opportunities by people in authority, by people in power, when too much of nepotism and your complete monopoly in business and other things are there then this is what happens,” Mukul said.

Stating these are precursors of what is going to happen, he said, “When there is increased number of elite groups fighting for the same kind of space and the space is limited then when you cannot create that kind of equilibrium in the society then you will have that whole distortion of the equilibrium.”

“This is the slow indication of what is going to happen. And once it happens then it is going to remain for 15-20 years so another 15-20 years, you are going to have a mess and who is going to clear it?” he asked.

The former chief minister further asserted that the interest of the State is more important and said there is need to handle the situation with the State already witnessing lots of crimes.

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 11: Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma today suggested the need to send the buses under the Sustainable Transport and Efficient Mobility Society (STEMS) programme for schools and colleges in the different districts of the state after they have no takers in Shillong.

“If there are no takers in Shillong, we should send them (STEM buses) to the colleges and schools across the state,” Sangma told reporters.

He said that the majority of the parents are not in line to take the service buses. “Therefore, we have decided to discuss with the Urban affairs department that if the schools and colleges within the Shillong city don’t want to use the buses, we should send them to other districts of the state. We will take up the matter with the urban affairs department and we will do the needful,” the minister added.

He said that the government is trying to give the best services to the people but parents seem to be not willing to trust others in sending their children to school.

Staff Reporter

Shillong, Sept 7: Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma has informed that ninety-nine per cent of the colleges in Meghalaya have started the implementation of the 4-year degree courses under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.

“Ninety-nine per cent of the colleges affiliated with the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU) have already implemented the NEP by starting the classes for the 4-year degree courses. We are in touch with the heads of the different institutions and their management,” Sangma told reporters yesterday.

He said the State government had earlier written to NEHU that some of the colleges had expressed their inability to implement the NEP.

“However after deliberation on the need of the hour and the urgency of this introduction, now all the colleges have implemented (NEP) and they have taken the importance of the future of our students,” he added.

Referring to the ongoing stalemate between the NEHU and the Meghalaya College Teachers Association (MCTA) and NEHUTA, the minister said, “We request them to sort things out because there is no opposition from any student, principal or management (against NEP implementation).”

He said the government now leaves it to the heads of the different institutions and their management to decide on the NEP.

When asked, Sangma said, “If we continue with the 3-year degree courses, our students will graduate in 2026 and in 2026, where our students will go for admission. If they go to Assam, Delhi and other state universities since they already implemented NEP and 4-year degree courses, I doubt whether our students will be eligible for further studies for postgraduate courses or not.”

“I think they will make their own decision but students’ future is top priority because our colleges are affiliated to NEHU and whatever decision is taken by it, they will have to follow,” he said.

Meanwhile, the education minister informed that the State government is coming up with its own curriculum in line with NEP.

“NEP is a broad subject. From elementary, upper primary, secondary and higher education, we are already implementing it. Lots of training is going on. Since the national curriculum framework has just been rolled out one week back, we are examining this and so we will come up with our own curriculum which will be best suited for our environment,” he added.

Education Minister Rakkam A Sangma has informed that the government is examining the proposal to adopt the Central Board of School Education (CBSE) syllabus in the state.

“We are now examining the proposal to adopt the CBSE curriculum in order to improve the confidence and standards of our students in the state,” Sangma told reporters today.

“It may not be whole but certain sections and step by step we are exploring on how to bring the best education environment for the students,” he added.

The minister further asserted that the whole idea is to ensure the confidence and standard of the students of the state will be at par with the rest of the country.

The All Meghalaya Fourth Teachers Association Garo Hills Unit (AM4thTA GHU) has expressed unhappiness due to the non-release of their three–month salary.

The association said that the 4th teachers are yet to receive their salary for January to March 2023 and are facing lots of problems with their daily wages even going to school.

The association in its memorandum to Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma and Education Minister Rakkam Sangma and also to the DSEL officers too on March 17 had demanded regularization of 1521 fourth teachers services, equal salary at par with Adhoc Upper Primary School teachers and to ensure regular disbursement of salary to teachers respective accounts and 5 per cent annual increment for Meghalaya 4th Teachers.

“If the MDA 2.0 government neglects the teachers’ salary then how will the teachers go to school with an empty stomach and empty pockets as they are without salary for three months? Therefore, the association requested the chief minister and education minister to look into the matter and ensure speedy release of our 3-month salary,” the president of the association Tengrang K Sangma said.

As many as nine states, including Telangana and Meghalaya, have withdrawn the general consent given to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for probing certain offences.

The information was disclosed by Union Minister Jitendra Singh during the winter session of the Parliament in December 2022.

The minister informed the House that as per Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, 1946, the CBI requires the consent of the respective state governments to conduct investigations in their jurisdiction.

The state governments had granted general consent to the CBI for the investigation of a specified class of offences against specified categories of persons, enabling the agency to register and investigate those specified matters, Singh elaborated. However, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Punjab, Rajasthan, Telangana, and West Bengal have withdrawn the general consent to the CBI to investigate cases. This move could potentially create roadblocks for the CBI to investigate cases in these states.

Non-BJP-ruled states have accused the CBI of “selectively targeting” Opposition leaders.

The withdrawal of consent could also affect the CBI’s ability to investigate cases that have national significance or interstate ramifications. It remains to be seen how the CBI will navigate these challenges and continue to discharge its duties effectively.

This development highlights the need for a comprehensive review of the DSPE Act, 1946, and its provisions related to the CBI’s jurisdiction and powers.

In March this year, a Parliamentary Committee emphasised the withdrawal of general consent for the CBI probe by several states and stated that the existing law governing the federal probe agency has “several limitations”.

The committee has suggested the need to enact new legislation that defines the CBI’s status, functions, and powers.

“The Committee feels that the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act has many limitations and therefore, recommends that there is a need to enact a new law and define the status, functions and powers of the CBI and also lay down safeguards to ensure objectivity and impartiality in its functioning,” it said.

Rudra Vikram Singh, Supreme Court lawyer said that withdrawal of general consent means CBI does not have the general consent of a state government, it is required to apply for consent on a case-by-case basis and cannot act before the consent is given.

“However CBI can continue to investigate cases in a state registered prior to the withdrawal of general consent. In July 2022, the Calcutta High Court, in a case of illegal coal mining and cattle smuggling being investigated by the CBI, ruled that the central agency cannot be stopped from investigating a Central government employee in another state,” said Singh.

“In its order, the High Court observed that corruption cases across the country must be treated equally and that Central government employees could not be exempted from an investigation on the grounds that their offices were located in states that have withdrawn general consent. The judgment also said that withdrawal of general consent and its ramifications would be applicable in cases where exclusively state government employees were involved,” he added.

This order, however, has been challenged in the Supreme Court, where the matter is still pending. Hence, as it stands, the CBI can use the Calcutta High Court order to its advantage to carry on certain investigations until the order is struck down by the Supreme Court.

Gurmeet Nehra, legal scholar and member of the Supreme Court Bar Association said that CBI can approach the local court of that state for issuing a search warrant and it can register a case in Delhi and proceed with the investigation.