Shillong, Oct 15: The Meghalaya government has released Rs 79.5 crore to the Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC) in order for pending salaries to be cleared.
Rs 11 crore is towards dues payable to the GHADC, while Rs 68.5 crore is an advance payment against future royalties.
Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma today informed that the money has been released to an escrow account, which is meant specifically for salary disbursement. This account will be monitored to ensure that the funds are used only for salary purposes. With this amount, the district council will now be in a position to release 12 months’ of salary backlogs for its employees.
“I want to make it very clear that the decision is simple and clear: this is not an additional amount that we’re giving to them (GHADC). This is an amount that is coming from their own share and we’re adjusting it in the future as an advance. So, this is their money, and we’re releasing it in advance. The only condition we’ve put is that we want a Principal Secretary to monitor this finance to ensure it’s not misused or diverted for any other purpose but for salaries.”
Both the state government and the GHADC are run by Sangma’s National People’s Party (NPP).
The CM added that the escrow account will be managed by the district council and the Principal Secretary will have the opportunity to monitor it.
Sangma also stressed the need for reforms, service rules and increased revenue collection. He expressed hope that with these measures in place, the district councils will achieve financial stability.
