Shillong, Mar 27: Khasi Hills Autonomous District Council (KHADC) chief executive member, P.N. Syiem tabled a Rs 49,560 deficit budget for the year 2018-19, and assured his Executive Committee would try its best to find out ways and means to improve revenue collection of the Council.

The budget was tabled during the ongoing budget session of the Council on Tuesday.

Syiem in his budget speech said, “There is a deficit in the budget estimate since the proposed expenditure estimated at Rs 213, 53, 36, 970 is higher than the Council’s revenue receipts which is at Rs 213,52,87,410.”

Syiem also said that his executive committee has proposed to implement the new pay revision for the employees of the Council from next month.

According to Syiem, the EC has decided to implement the new pay revision as per recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission constituted by the state government, which was implemented since January 1, 2017.

Syiem also informed that the Council had already released arrear payment to the employees in January this year adding that the allocation for releasing of salary of the employees of the different departments has increased this year.

The CEM further informed that the Council has also received grant of Rs 32.24 crore released by the Centre recently for Excluded Areas under Part IX & IXA of the Constitution of India for 2017-18.

Under this grant, Syiem said that the Council has proposed fund for construction of a two-storey Executive building at the place where the old Council Session Hall is located.

Besides, he said fund was also earmarked for the repairing of the Wahkaji-Mawthabah and Phlangdiloin-Wahkaji road and other measures to improve the revenue generation of the Council.

“We have also received sanction of Rs 9.66 crore which part of the Special Assistant of Central Plan Scheme for the year 2016-17 and we are expecting that the Centre will soon release the funds,” he said.

Meanwhile Syiem informed the House that his Executive Committee has also granted permission for implementation of government’s schemes for the expansion and repairing of roads including Shillong-Nongstoin-Riangdo, Nongstoin-Rambrai-Kyrshai, Riangdo-Athiabari-Hahim, Ranikor-Maheshkhola-Baghmara, Shillong Western By-pass and Shillong-Dawki.