JHADC chief passed buck of deficit budget to increase in market price index

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaMarch 15, 2022

For the fourth consecutive year, Jaintia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) Chief Executive Member Thombor Shiwat on Tuesday placed a deficit budget for the financial year 2022-23 of Rs. 12.89 crores for the estimated expenditure of the Council is Rs. 204, 94, 48, 300.00 while the estimated receipt of the Council is Rs. 192, 05, 16,000.00 crores

Shiwat placed the budget in the opening day of the two days budget session of the JHADC.

Spelling out the revenue receipts, the Chief Executive Member said that the Government of Meghalaya released the share of Rs. 45 crores only from the royalty on major mineral leaving an outstanding balance of Rs. 18.19 crores of the collection year 2020-21 while the share of revenue amounting to Rs 12.83 crores from minor minerals and Rs. 2.73 being the share on taxes of motor vehicles of the collection year 2020-21 has been cleared by the Government.

He also said that under the grant in aid of the Fifteen Finance Commission, the Council received an amount of Rs. Rs. 13.65 crores for carrying out various development works within area of its jurisdiction.

With regards to the development on the construction of Iaw Musiang Market, Shiwat said that the Executive Committee has taken up the matter with the State Government and we expect that soon the Government will release an amount of Rs. 12 crores only for resuming the remaining construction work of Redevelopment of Iaw Musiang Market at Jowai.

Admitting over the non-availability of funds for clearing the pending monthly salary of the members, Council Employees and Council Pensioners for past 11 months, the Chief Executive Member said that the total amount required for clearing the salaries and pension has cross over Rs. 80.60 crores approximate but nevertheless the Council has managed some funds and soon they will be able to release one-month salary (April, 2021). 

In defense of the deficit budget of Rs. 12.89 crores, the Chief Executive Member attributed to the increasing cost of establishment due to annual increment of pay of employees and the increase in the rate of dearness allowance and implementation of the Member Pension Act 2018. He further owned the deficit budget due to Liabilities of the Arrear Revise Pay of 40 % of the Members and employees which is not able to clear during the current financial years and carried over as committed liabilities to the coming financial year.

Perhaps for the first time in the history of JHADC, the buck of deficit budget has been passed by the Chief Executive Member to the increasing cost of contingency expenditure due to ever increase in market price index.

Shiwat said that the Executive Committee have formulated its annual action plan to carry out various programme on development works during the ensuing financial year 2022-23, which includes implementation of Case Information System and upgradation of standard of Library in the Court Building and by installation more Law Books, Journal Reports etc and submission of outstanding Annual Account of the Council with a target to come to upto date position.

The Chief Executive Member said that they will construct 84 numbers of community halls, 41 numbers of roads, 26 numbers of footpaths, 31 numbers of school buildings, 35 numbers of playgrounds, 3 numbers of gallery, 10 numbers of waiting shed, installation of solar street light in different localities and construction of two numbers of washing platform and other 478 numbers of drinking water sanitation programme.

For the smooth and speedy functioning of the Civil Work Department, Shiwat said that the Executive Committee has taken a decision to strengthen the Department by shifting the Establishment of Development Committee to Establishment of Civil Work Department.