The Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) is exploring options to earmark funds to MDCs in order to provide Covid-19 relief to their constituents.
Chief Executive Member of the KHADC, Titosstarwell Chyne, informed that this year it will be difficult for the council to provide funds like it did last year during the first wave.
Last year, Rs 10 lakh was sanctioned to each MDC to help people during the lockdown.
“This time it is going to be very difficult since we could not release our scheme like last year,” the CEM said.
Stating that it will require the approval of the Chief Secretary to release the amount, Chyne said that the KHADC is planning to write to the government to approve the schemes submitted by the council.
The CEM said that, unlike MLAs, who have a scheme for which funds are allocated by the state government, the MDCs have no such scheme.
Chyne informed that the funds earmarked to the Autonomous District Councils comes in the form of an award from the Finance Commission.
“The funds can only be released after the schemes are approved by the high-level committee,” Chyne said.
The CEM said that one cannot claim the funds as MDC schemes but it’s only a developmental programme for the constituencies.
