Shillong, November 28: The Indigenous Biodiversity & Social Welfare Organisation (IBSWO) – Meghalaya appreciates the fact that the Government of Meghalaya has taken pains to bring out a policy document on mining of minerals within the State and in the process, has over the years, brought out many draft policies, the latest being The Meghalaya Mines and Minerals Policy, 2012 which perhaps is still a draft policy paper/document.
It is also appreciated that the present draft is a vast improvement on the previous drafts, perhaps by having taken serious note and cognizance of suggestions and recommendations made from various quarters, including Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and Political Parties.
In particular, we would like to point out certain marked inclusions which were not there in the earlier drafts.
Re: PART – I, 1 Background
“1.5 The land tenure system in the State is largely governed by customary laws and practices. The Policy objectives will be in consonance with such laws and practices, as specifically stipulated in the Sixth Schedule to the Constitution of India and the Meghalaya Land Transfer (Regulation) Act, 1971 and the relevant laws of the respective District Councils.”
Re: 4. INFRASTRUCTURE FOR MINES AND MINERALS:
“4.7 The Child Labour Laws shall be taken fully into cognizance in this policy.”
Re: 10. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR THE MINE DEVELOPMENT AND MINING:
“b) Application for mineral concession either fresh or renewal is to be submitted to the State Government through the Deputy Commissioner of the District wherein the area applied for is situated and with NOC from District Council concerned and land owner;
“c) On receipt of application, the Deputy Commissioner will examine the same, make necessary enquiry with, inter-alia, land-owner and traditional institutions like Headman, Village/Local Durbars and the Autonomous District Council about the applied area and forward the application with a report to the Directorate of Mineral Resources.”
However, there are other inclusions raising apparent doubts on the true intent of the published draft policy under examination and study by non-governmental groups like IBSWO.
1. First, with reference to 10. b) already cited above, the following should be inserted after “District Council concerned ”, viz. “Village/Local Durbar” to be followed with the words “and land owner” so to read “ … and with NOC from District Council concerned, Village/Local Durbar and land owner.”
2. In 10 c) the word “like” appearing after “traditional institutions” and before “Headman” should be substituted by the word, “namely” or its short form “viz” as the word “like” in this context carries no weight whatsoever.
3. Re: 5. REGULATION OF MINES AND MINERALS:
a. Giving reconnaissance permit to a “company” meaning and implying any company – transnational and multinational is compromising the security, sovereignty of the country and laying bare the assets and resources to a business enterprise having no patriotic allegiance and concern for biodiversity. And that too up to 100 Sq. Km. As it is, the word ‘reconnaissance’ is a military terminology.
b. The terms “100 Sq. km”, “ 25 Sq. km”, “10 Sq.km” should be qualified in that does it imply distance of as the crow flies or land formation with ups and downs, ridges and valleys for should it imply the former, a small state like Meghalaya cannot afford to barter away its natural resources including biodiversity, etc. for a mess of pottage. Further, it conflicts with provisos of the Meghalaya Land Transfer (Regulation) Act.
4. Re: PART – II
6. OBJECTIVES
(xii) The word ‘geo-tourism’ should be substituted with the word ‘eco-tourism’ in letter, spirit and intent.
5. Re: 19. JOINT VENTURE:
While is is appreciated that the proviso allowing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) has been removed in the present draft, the insertion of Single Window Agency and offering incentives as per provisos of the State’s Industrial Policy, 1997 is fraught with possibilities of misuse and abuse as had been seen both in SWA – 1995 and the MIP- 1997 and the earlier provisos empowering traditional institutions will become weak.
Therefore, IBSWO wishes for Government to withhold implementing the draft policy in its present form unless the controversial new provisos are totally deleted.(SP News)
Government of Meghalaya Launches Megha Health Insurance Scheme
Shillong, November 27, 2012: Government of Meghalaya (GoM), with advisorysupport from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the WorldBank, today signed an agreement with ICICI Lombard General Insurance CoLtd. (ICICI) to roll out a comprehensive health insurance scheme which willbenefit all the residents of the state. Christened the Megha HealthInsurance Scheme (MHIS), the scheme will provide all households in thestate with a financial cover of upto Rs 1,60,000 per year to coverin-patient services, irrespective of income levels.
The new health insurance scheme is among the first of its type acrossIndia. It uses the standard RSBY platform supported by the Ministry ofLabour and Employment, Government of India and expands the cover availableunder RSBY both in terms of universalizing the scheme across the entirepopulation instead of just those covered under the Below Poverty Line (BPL)List; and also in terms of deepening the scheme to provide an enhancedcover of upto Rs. 1,60,000 instead of Rs. 30,000, thereby providing for
cashless treatment of specified high cost and recurrent illnesses.The agreement was signed in Shillong by Mr. Meban R. Synrem, IAS, CEO,Megha Health Insurance Scheme and Secretary, Department of Health andFamily Welfare, and Mr. Pranab Sharma, Associate Vice President, ICICI
Lombard in the presence of the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Dr. Mukul Sangma, Chief Secretary, Mr W M S Pariat, Commissioner & Secretary Health & Family Welfare, Mr D P Wahlang and representatives from the IFC and the World Bank. ICICI was selected as the insurer after a rigorous and competitive bidding process advised by the IFC in which bids were received from six leading insurers, resulting in a reduction in premium per household payable by the Government.
The scheme will be integrated with the existing public health system of Meghalaya by empanelling public sector hospitals as well as private hospitals in the State and engaging with the Govt Health Care providers through rigorous training and performance based incentives. The scheme will also augment the availability of advanced care facilities to the people of the State by requiring the insurance company to empanel tertiary care hospitals offering advance cardiac and cancer care services outside Meghalaya. The scheme will also maintain the country-wide portability inherent to the basic RSBY Scheme.
In the second phase, IFC and the World Bank will continue to provide advisory support to the Government for further enhancing the scope of coverage and benefits under the scheme.(SP News)
