SHILLONG, AUG 27: Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Thursday countered VPP president Ardent Basaiawmoit’s allegation that government denied ex-gratia to families of five victims of a workplace accident in Shillong, stating that assistance was released from the Chief Minister’s Special Grant (CMSG) without publicity.
Replying to the Zero Hour notice moved by the Nongkrem legislator, Sangma said the information that ex-gratia was denied is incorrect.“Ex-gratia has been released to these families not from the State Disaster Mitigation Fund (SDMF) but from the Chief Minister’s Special Grant. So to say ex-gratia has not been given is incorrect,” Sangma told the House.
He explained that ex-gratia under SDMF is strictly meant for natural disasters covered under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) for mitigation projects, and cannot be used for accidents due to its specific definition.
“However, there is a fund under CMSG. There are no specific guidelines because circumstances differ. Based on circumstances, the CM is at liberty to give ex-gratia. But it is very sensitive and complicated, because once we start a precedent of supporting accidents, it becomes a norm and an entitlement where any accident leads to expectation that CMSG will be used. It is a very narrow space we are trying to function in,” he said.
Sangma said the government chose to act without talking about it.“Our principle is very clear, as our Veterinary Minister always says in his speeches – we act more, we talk less. We gave the money but did not make it big news. We realised the circumstances of these families and this incident and supported them under CMSG without making a noise, without going public, without making a social media reel,” he said.
“We believe our action is more important than making news out of it. Maybe that is why the member and media houses did not come to know. We did not want to make a big deal out of it, we gave the ex-gratia quietly,” the Chief Minister added.
To this, Basaiawmoit responded, “As responsible members, we took up the issue based on media reports. It is not that we want to talk more and work less.”
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