Department of Information and Public Relations

Press Release No. 660/15

NOTIFICATION

Shillong, September 16, 2015: The Government of Meghalaya has extended the tenure of Dr. D D Lapang, MLA and Dr. Friday Lyngdoh, Ex-MLA as Chairman and Co-Chairman of the State Government Programme Implementation & Monitoring Committee respectively under Category A+ for a period of two years with effect from the assumption of charge and until further orders. This was informed by the Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Programme Implementation & Evaluation Department.

Press Release No. 661/15

CHILD LABOUR SURVEY IN JAINTIA HILLS

Shillong, September 16, 2015: A study on the “Dynamics of Employment of Children and Socio-Economic Reality: A Study of Children in Hazardous Occupation in West and East Jaintia Hills Districts of Meghalaya” was entrusted by the Department of Labour and Employment, Government of Meghalaya to the V. V. Giri National Labour Institute (VVGNLI), Noida under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India. The study was a collaborative effort of Dr. Helen R. Sekar, Dr. Otojit Kshetrimayum (VVGNLI, Noida) and Dr. Deigracia Nongkynrih (NEHU, Shillong).

The study aimed at examining the prevalence of child labour in the villages of East and West Jaintia Hills Districts of Meghalaya where coal mining is predominant. 100 villages across East and West Jaintia Hills were selected for the study. The selection of the villages for the study was based on theVulnerability Mapping Survey in rural areas, conducted by the Government of Meghalaya during the year 2013. The Vulnerability Mapping Survey covered 6168 villages (39 C&RD Blocks and 579 Gram Sevak Circles) across the 11 districts in the state. The survey was an attempt to locate the number of villages where the occupations and processes prohibited for children under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 were prevalent.

A household survey of these selected villages was conducted during November 2013 to January 2014 with 544 field investigators. The field investigators were drawn from the government officials, teachers and educated villagers from the East and West Jaintia Hills Districts. The field investigators were imparted training on the method of data collection. A total of 22,191 households were covered with a total population of 1,32,636 of which 66,931 males (50.5 percent) and 65,680 females (49.5 percent) were recorded. The survey coverage extended to the households, workplace, labour camps and coalmine site/depot.

Of the total sampled population of 1,32,636, the total children in the surveyed population were 66,921. The incidence of working children identified through the survey was 3041 of which 2242 i.e. 3.3 percent were identified as full-time working children (only working children (OW)), 59 children i.e., 0.1 percent who were attending school and were also working (ASW) and 740 children, i.e, 1.2 percent were reported to be neither at school nor at work (NSNW).

Labour force participation across the surveyed villages was recorded at 36.79 percent of the total population – 22.95 percent males and 13.83 percent females. Unemployment rate was recorded at 2.43 percent. Further, the extent of employment is concentrated in casual labour (51.28 percent) and self employment (21.95 percent). Based on the survey conducted, out of 22,191 respondents, 1951 (8.8 percent) were migrants of which 507 (2.3 percent) were from other villages of Meghalaya (intra-state migrants), 1286 (5.8 percent) were from other states of India (inter-state migrants) and 149 (0.7 percent) from Nepal (international migrants).

The Report was presented to Shri P. B. O. Warjri, Chief Secretary, Government of Meghalaya on the 14th September, 2015 in the presence of Shri M. S. Rao, Principal Secretary to the Government of Meghalaya, Labour Department and Smti M. N. Nampui, Labour Commissioner, Meghalaya by the Project Director, Dr. Helen R. Sekar.

Press Release No. 663/15

STATE CABINET MEETING HELD

Shillong, September 16, 2015: The State Cabinet in its meeting on Wednesday evening discussed and approved several proposals that were placed that were placed before the Cabinet for consideration, including the proposal of Mining & Geology department to table the government resolution on mining, and Amendment of Excise Rules.

Briefing the newsmen after the meeting, Chief Minister Dr. Mukul informed that the Cabinet has approved the proposal by the Excise department for amendment of the Sub rule 2 of Rule 183 for regulating the location of various IMFL and beer retail off license or retail on licenses. Under this amendment, no IMFL or beer retail off licenses or retail on licenses would be issued in areas within a distance of 200 metres from any place of public worship or educational institution or hospitals and also no license would be granted for retail sale of liquor or any other intoxicants at any site situated within 100 metres from the midpoint of any national highway or state highway.

For the purpose of this rule, such part of national highway or state highway situated within the limits of any city, town or municipality or town committee the distance from the midpoint of any national highway or state highway shall be 50 metres and shall not cover the retail on license, he said. A time of six months have been given for all the existing liquor shops that fall within these distances to comply in as far as shifting their shops are concerned.

“This amendment was necessitated because of VAT interpretation of the word “reasonable distance”. The Supreme Court has issued a directive to all the state governments to review and modify the relevant laws and rules in order to ensure accident free driving and safety of all road users in the country and based on this observation the State has taken up measures with due diligence”, the Chief Minister added. On the proposal of Mining & Geology department to table the Government Resolution on Mining in the State during the current session of the Assembly, the Chief Minister informed that the State Government has in 2014 itself taken up with the Centre to take recourse for invoking of Para 12 (a)(b) of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution in as far as the application of the Coal Mines (Nationalization) Act, 1973 is concerned and also Coal Bearing Areas Acquisition & Development Act, 1957 in respect of private areas of the State. Since Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2015 has come into force there is a need for few other sections and sub-sections of the relevant amended Act to be taken into consideration by the State Government for taking up with the Union Government for rescinding those particular relevant provisions , the Chief Minister informed.

“We have also taken up with the Union Government on the need to rescind certain provisions of the Mines & Minerals (Development & Regulation) Act, 1957 and there has been a positive response from the Centre and the PMO has notified a committee with the Cabinet Secretary as the Chairman and with the Chief Secretary and secretaries of other line Ministries as members”, he said. “Our engagement with the Union Government is still continuing and the relevant provisions of these two Acts are being taken up by the State Government to ensure that their application in Meghalaya is rescinded through a Presidential notification. We hope that the House will consider it when we table it in the Assembly” the Chief Minister added.

Regarding the Legislative Assembly members Family Pension Amendment Bill, 2015, Minister incharge Parliamentary Affairs, Prestone Tynsong, informed that the Cabinet has also accepted and approved the proposal to increase the pension of former State legislators from Rs.10,000 to Rs.17,000.