Shillong July 10: The state cabinet has proposed one-time settlement for the petrol pump owners to clear over Rs 38 crore pending dues in instalments.
The total principal amount is Rs 35 crore and the interest is Rs 3 crore.
After the cabinet meeting, on Wednesday, the Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said, “As you are aware that in some cases, there were petrol pumps that have not paid their dues that are due and because of financial situation their interest is piling up. Hence, to avoid the situation where things are not resolved in the future and these interests keep piling up, we have come up with a one-time kind of a settlement programme with the different petrol pumps where we are freezing the interest amount and the principal amount and then dividing them into equal installments and depending on the amount that is due, the instalments will differ”, the chief minister said.
Support to poor prisoners
The cabinet also approved the proposal to implement a central government scheme for extending financial support to poor prisoners that are there in the different jails of the state.
Conrad said that this is basically a scheme of the government of India and states are supposed to implement it.
He added that the financial impact is zero for the state as the entire amount is paid by the government of India.
Land rates in New Shillong area
The cabinet h finalized the land rates in the new Shillong township (NST) phase-II and the Mawkhanu area.
“The idea is that we have kept certain land which is there for us and then certain areas, which is there, which is free right now, the government has finalised rates for other state departments and central departments and other private sectors, who wish to come in so that we are able to generate revenue,” Conrad said.
SoPS approved for recruitment , promotion
The government also approved the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for ensuring time bound recruitment and promotion in the different government departments.
“SOPs for time bound recruitment and promotion have been finalized by the cabinet today to be now implemented by the different Heads of Departments (HoDs) as well as the different recruitment agencies.”,
Right to Public Service Rules
The cabinet also approved the amendment of the Meghalaya Right to Public Service Rules which seeks to ensure that the acknowledgement of application has to be done within 7 days.
“We have approved amendment rule 7 of the Meghalaya Right to Public Service Rules”, Conrad said.
Public communication policy
The state government approved the Meghalaya Public Communication Policy, 2024.
Conrad said the policy has been pending for a very long time and that the DIPR is not really being able to perform in an optimum manner and not able to do the different responsibility and activities that DIPR should be doing.
“And hence, the particular policy will now streamline the entire strategy in which the government to people connect and government to people communication, the different aspects of having different infrastructures and different systems in place, small things like having different spokespersons in different departments to give immediate information to the press and all these aspects are there”, he added.
Govt winds up Housing Board
The government also decided to wind up the Meghalaya State Housing Board (MSHB) and to release Rs 7.42 crore for granting voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) to over 18 employees.
