Shillong, Nov 9: The Thma U Rangli Juki (TUR) has opposed the implementation of the Meghalaya Community Participation and Public Services Social Audit Act, 2017 in its present form.
“We believe that for this act to have any value and legitimacy amongst the citizens, it cannot and should not be implemented in the present form,” TUR leader Angela Rangad said in a statement issued here on Thursday.
She said that the Act which should ensure ‘community participation’ was legislated without any ‘community participation’ or pre-legislative consultation.
Six months after the Bill was passed, the government decided to hold a small ‘consultation’ with select group of CSOs in the presence of Chief Minister Mukul Sangma, K.N.Kumar, IAS, B. Dhar IAS (nominated – rtd), she said while stating that TUR was also one of those invited to the said meeting.
The TUR also stated that the State Social Audit Council which is supposed to oversee and plan for Social Audit is not an independent body, because all the members of the council are government nominees.
“The appointment of Toki Blah, a retired IAS officer, as the chairperson of Social Audit Council by the government without any announcement of vacancy, or criterion of appointment goes against the very principle of independence and transparency,” Rangad said.
Meanwhile, the TUR demanded that the Act needs to be amended in a consultative process to ensure that the Act creates an independent body to ensure Transparency, Accountability & Participation.
“The rules for the implementation of the Act need to be framed in a consultative and transparent manner,” she said.
She was also of the view that the Principal Act needs to comply with the Auditing standards set by the Comptroller & Auditor General of India standards about its independence and formats of audit.
“Traditional institutions as well as Sixth Schedule institutions need to be made a party to this Act in order to ensure its effectiveness and legitimacy,” she added.
Rangad also said that TUR is going to further suggest clause by clause amendments towards making this act functional and pro-people and for this official consultations have to be carried out soon so that amendment can be introduced in the winter session of the Legislative Assembly.