Kamalanagar November 29:        The 8^th Chakma Autonomous District Council sat for its Winter Session’ 2012 today. This would be the last Session of this 8^th Council before the General Election to the 9^th Council starts early next year.

                The one hour question-hour normally kept for discussion of questions was skipped for no questions were received for discussion.

                However, three official bills, the CADC (Salaries, Allowances & Pension of Members) (Amendment) Rules 2012, the CADC (Salaries, Allowances & Pension of Chairman & Deputy Chairman) (Amendment) Rules 2012 and the CADC (Salaries, Allowances & Pension of CEM & EMs) (Amendment) Rules 2012 were introduced in the House, moved by Hon’ble Chief Executive member Dangu kali Kumar Tongchongya. The Bills seek to rationalize the pay of the councilors and pension of the former councilors with the rise in price of commodities. These Bills were earlier brought in, in the Monsoon Session of 2011 and passed. As normal practice the Bills were forwarded to Law and Judicial Department, Govt. of Mizoram for final scrutiny. After necessary corrections were made by the Law and Judicial Department, they were sent back for reconsideration of the House. The Bills were discussed at length and finally got passed unanimously.

Kamalanagar, August 2: Chakma Autonomous District Council’s Regular Budget 2012-13 placed in the first sitting of this Monsoon Session has been discussed and passed unanimously today in its fourth and final sitting.

The budget allocation for the current financial year has been earmarked at Rs.2858.00 lakhs under Non-plan, Rs.45.00 lakhs under Centrally Sponsored Schemes and Rs.3487.00 lakhs under plan sector. There has been a jump in fund allocation under plan sector by more than triple with reference to that of previous financial year. The enormous increase is attributable to allocation made under RKVY at Rs.700.00 lakhs, under TFC at Rs.266.00 lakhs, under Minor Irrigation (AIBP) at Rs.700.00 lakhs, under State Priority Project at Rs.150.00 lakhs and under SCA for clearance of pending liabilities at Rs.400.00 lakhs. Therefore, the actual normal Annual Plan Fund for this year stands at Rs.1271.00 lakhs of which Rs.1062.58 laks is earmarked for salary. The rest of the amount is allotted for Administrative costs and Minor Works.

In his budget speech the Chief Executive Member asserted for a robust Local Revenue target of Rs.98.70 lakhs and sought the cooperation of all the concerned officials of CADC to achieve the target.

The budget also reflected a deficit of Rs.888.38 lakhs against salary/arrear, Rs.44.31 lakhs against salary and Rs.24.06 under non-plan sector, plan sector and under NLCPR respectively. The CEM, CADC expressed his hope to cover up the deficit under plan and non-plan sector by means of additional allocation in the form of Supplementary Grant in due course of time against which Govt. of Mizoram has already been informed.

The opposition expressed their reservation about the budget being burdened by a huge deficit.  They were also concern regarding many of the Departments not being given any allocation in the Budget.

The Hon’ble Chief Executive Member Sri Kali Kumar Tongchangya and mover of the Budget, while taking on the concern of the opposition said that the Council’s fund position being extremely tight, the Executive Committee have taken up to make fund provision to those Departments without allocation, through centrally sponsored projects. He informed the House that a project at an estimated cost of Rs.4.98 crores is being pursued with NEC to create a state of the art sport complex at Kamalanagar. “In collaboration with the State PHE Department a greater water supply scheme, tapping the Chawngte Lui,  for Chawngte area is being aggressively pursued and is under process”, he said .

The CEM hailed this budget as people welfare budget as Rs.14.00 crores have been dedicated to boost agricultural productivity, given the fact that more 90% of CADC’s population is agriculture dependent.

Kamalanagar, August 01:  Chakma Autonomous District Council Monsoon Session continued into its Day-3.

The day has seen the laying of Gazette notified Rules of “The Chakma Autonomous District Council (Constitution, Conduct of Business etc.) (Amendment) Rules, 2011” and “The Chakma Autonomous District Council (Village Councils) (Amendment) Act, 2011”.

Shri Purna Muni Chakma, Deputy Chairman, CADC and Chairman of the Audit Committee to review the Report of C&AG of India for the financial years 2005-2006, 2006-2007, 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 in respect of Chakma Autonomous District Council, placed his Report before the house for discussion. The Report of C&AG of India stated the absence of internal audit mechanism in CADC, although Rule 144 of the Mizoram Autonomous District Council Fund Rules, 1996 requires the CADC to introduce a suitable system for internal audit within the Council with approval of the Governor and in consultation with the State Accountant General.  While accepting the statement, the Report of the Audit Committee, CADC urged the Executive Committee, CADC to undertake necessary action to introduce appropriate internal control mechanism and internal audit to ensure prudent financial management, checks on financial irregularities and to provide assurance to the management about the protection of assets and reliability of information.

The Report of the C&AG of India also stated about the engagement of huge number of staff by CADC without the existence of approved staffing pattern. The report laid by the Audit Committee, CADC while accepting the fact of the absence of any staffing pattern, stated that the Executive Committee, CADC has already acted upon the anomaly and submitted the Staffing Pattern of the District Council for approval of the State Government early this year.

The Session was adjourned till tomorrow after the Report of the Audit Committee, CADC got passed unanimously.

Kamalanagar, July 31:Chakma Autonomous District Council’s Monsoon Session continued into its second day. The day was devoted to a single agenda of moving the bill of Chakma Autonomous District Council (Constitution and Conduct of Business, etc.,) (Amendment) Rules, 2012.

Earlier, in the Summer Session the same amendment bill was moved by the Hon’ble Chief Executive Member, CADC for consideration in the House. It was then felt after prolong discussion, that it should be referred to a three member Select Committee for further study and accordingly a Committee was formed for the purpose, comprising of members from both the political groups.

As scheduled the report of the Select Committee was tabled on the floor of the House for consideration. Almost all the recommendations of the Select Committee were agreed upon save an amendment pertaining to Rule 12(5)(a) seeking to remove the provision of disqualification of a member of District Council on the ground of defection from the mother political party. Finally the bill was passed on majority vote excluding the contentious portion.

If the bill gets the assent of His Excellency, the Governor of Mizoram the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of Electoral rolls for, and the conduct of Election to the District Council shall get vested in the State Election Commission. So far, since 1972, elections to the District Council were executed in the name of the Governor and the State Election Commission has had no roles.

The bill also seeks to introduce the use of electronic voting machine from the next MDC general Election by replacing the age old mode of ballot paper system of voting. By ushering in the use of technology in the electioneering process many of the election related discrepancies and disputes which are incidental to the process, shall be taken care of. It will ensure a freer and fair election in the District Council from now onwards.