Nearly Rs 20 lakh has been spent by the government in holding cabinet meetings outside of the state capital in the various district headquarters, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma told the Assembly today, a sum that the opposition Congress termed a waste of public money.
The CM defended the idea of taking cabinet meetings on the road, saying that it helped the government connect with the grassroots and learn what the problems of the citizenry outside Shillong really are.
The government has so far incurred Rs 19, 18,221 on holding these cabinet sessions outside Shillong. They were only suspended on the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic in the state.
Rangsakona MLA Zenith Sangma, speaking for the opposition Congress, said the government should instead invest in creating new administrative blocks, districts and civil sub-divisions if it truly wants to bring governance closer to the people.
However, the Chief Minister said that not all decisions can be made from Shillong and having roving cabinet meetings were in the “overall interest of the people”.
