Meghalaya Assembly Seeks Finance Commission Mandate for Autonomous District Councils
SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions | SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
Institutions: Ministry of Finance | Government of Meghalaya
The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Government of India to amend Article 280 of the Constitution, enabling the Finance Commission to directly recommend statutory funding for the stateβs three Autonomous District Councils (Khasi Hills, Garo Hills, and Jaintia Hills). Legislators argued that these Sixth Schedule bodies, tasked with safeguarding tribal identity, managing land, and administering customary justice, lack predictable revenues and remain dependent on ad hoc grants. Without formula-based fiscal transfers, ADCs face growing difficulty in fulfilling their constitutional functions.
Relevant question for policy stakeholders: Should India institutionalize formula-based Finance Commission transfers to Sixth Schedule councils, or design a dedicated fiscal instrument that balances ADC autonomy with state-level financial control?
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https://cms.neva.gov.in/NeVA/ML/FileStructures//Notices/347ead47-10ef-435e-b22f-c74d099f0491.pdf