Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 482/15

CABINET DISCUSSES RECOMMENDATION ON CENTRE STATE RELATIONS

Shillong, July 10, 2015: The State Cabinet today evening held a meeting to discuss the recommendation of the Commission on Centre-State Relations and also on issue of repealing Co-operative Societies Act of Assam, 1950 as adopted by Meghalaya.

On the recommendation of the Commission on Centre-State Relations, it may be recalled that the Political Department had worked out the recommendation and placed before the Cabinet for consideration on the February 4, last, and subsequently the department was asked to work on a few paragraphs which, the Cabinet felt, was required for further restructuring as far as suggestions are concerned.

Chief Minister Dr. Mukul Sangma, chairing the meeting said the recommendation for the Centre-State Relations is very crucial in view of the fact that we have a vibrant democracy and any strategy adopted by the Centre and State must be in sync with this time-tested Federal structure. Based on its past experiences while attending to various subjects which are part of the Union List, State List and also of the Concurrent List, the Cabinet worked out its suggestions.

In relation to transfer of resources under Centrally-sponsored schemes, the Cabinet felt that there should be mechanism adopted by the Centre where all the Centrally-sponsored schemes when implemented, the guidelines should be allowed to be structured by the respective State governments, dovetailed to their given situations and ground realities so that states are capable of implementing those programmes to fulfill the objectives of those programmes.

“Northeastern states must be able to generate the momentum to be able to catch up with the rest of the country in respect of the developmental index. There is a need to provide a special dispensation for enabling the states of Northeast to avail special grants as has been done in the preceding years”, the Chief Minister said. In normal Central assistance as mandated by the Constitution of India, a special block grants with different nomenclatures had been passed on to the Northeastern states in order to enable them to catch up with the rest of the states and ensure that Northeastern states are not only able to generate the momentum of growth and sustain it. The Cabinet was of the view that this dispensation of resources transfer to the state governments as special grants must continue.

Another important aspect which, according to the Cabinet, needed appropriate consideration was with regard to migrants and locals threatening social harmony and development. In this regard, the Cabinet was of the view that there is a need for the Centre to understand the basic factors which have impact on the overall mutual trust, understanding and social harmony between the migrants and the local population. Therefore, a blunt suggestion was put forth by the Cabinet that there is need to relook at the manner in which we allow our citizens to exercise their right to franchise. “The right of franchise needs to be looked at from the perspective that whether a citizen while exercising his right of franchise, is also doing it with a sense of responsibility and whether it is linked with being a true stakeholder and also associated with the question of taking a risk on the outcome of such franchise. Many of the migrants include those population that come for a very limited period of time and therefore from a perspective of true democracy we must understand whether they can be considered as a true stakeholder in the electoral process because their vote also will determine the outcome of any election”, the Chief Minister said.

Therefore the Cabinet made a suggestion that the citizens must have the right of franchise only in their place of origin rather than the place where they migrate for some period of time for their professional activities. Regarding enactment of Meghalaya Co-operative Societies Bill, 2015, there were a few observations made by the Governor and therefore there was need for some fine-tuning of some clauses of the Act which will be introduced before the Assembly for its consideration and subsequently sent back to the Governor for his assent, after which it would be made available for all concerned.