Former Nongkrem MLA Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit today said that the MLA scheme is not a personal property and each representative has to be transparent in implementation of the welfare schemes.
The Voice of the People Party (VPP) leader said that all the MLAs are sanctioned with funds that amount to more than Rs 11 crore in five years. He said the people have every right to know how and where it is spent on.
“Going by the record, I was the only MLA who distributed the various government schemes and read out the names of the beneficiaries in the public gathering to ensure that not even a single paisa is missed out. I used to give every detail of the schemes I got from the government,” he told Highland Post today.
Basaiawmoit said than an MLA is getting a minimum of Rs 2.2 crore per year. “People should understand that this is not his (an MLA) property but only being routed through the MLA for the people,” he said, adding that if this huge amount is “religiously” used by every MLA in their constituencies, it will definitely bring developments and also help the constituents economically.
Meanwhile, Basaiawmoit expressed happiness that North Shillong MLA, Adelbert Nongrum joined the VPP.
“We are happy to see that our attempts to make people understand the principles and desires that our party stands for has even worked in the thoughts of leaders and a sitting MLA like Adelbert Nongrum,” he said.
He said the VPP that stands for clean politics and to protect the rights of the indigenous tribals believe that others who have similar desires will follow Nongrum’s example and fight corruption.
