The Jaiñtia Hills Autonomous District Council (JHADC) unanimously passed the Jaiñtia Hills Autonomous District (Village and Town Development Council) Bill, 2023during a Special Session held today.
The bill is to pave way for direct funding to the dorbar shnong through creation of village and town development councils. These will plan and implement developmental activities within the villages and towns in the autonomous district of the Jaiñtia Hills.
According to the bill, The Village Development Council (VDC) and the Town Development Council (TDC) will comprise of a waheh shnong as the chairman, vice chairman, secretary, assistant secretary, treasurer, and not less than 10 members, which should also include three women members.
The Development Council shall be collectively responsible and accountable to the dorbar shnong for all the action and inaction. It will also formulate plans for construction, repair and maintenance of roads, drains, dams, irrigation canals, drinking wells, tanks and other allied social welfare services.
A member of the council will be a permanent resident of the village who attained the age of 25 and not convicted of any offence and sentenced for not less than six months of imprisonment. He should not be a member of the district council.
The tenure of the development council shall be determined by the dorbar shnong and such term shall not be less than one year or more than a period of three years at a time.
The development council will also constitute a council fund. Moreover, the bill also states that all funds, grants and other forms of monetary or financial assistance received from any source for the purpose of achieving the objects of this Act shall be treated part of the District Fund and shall be subjected to audit as per provisions of paragraph 7 of the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution.
