Ampati, Nov 19: The meeting called by District Administration of South West Garo Hills with A’king Nokmas from across the district to clarify confusion surrounding the Panchayati Advancement Index (PAI) survey has paid off after the chiefs agreed to extend full cooperation to ensure the smooth completion of the survey for the benefit of all communities.
Officials tried to allay doubts by providing detailed clarification on the purpose, methodology, and significance of the PAI survey, which is being conducted across villages to evaluate local governance performance and identify development gaps.
The meeting was attended by R Z D Shira, Project Director, SRES-DID; C R N Sangma, BDO Betasing; A K Marak, BDO Purakhasia along with official members of the council of Nokmas, including D. Ch. Marak, general secretary; S R Marak, advisor; Daniel Ingty, advisor (Agriculture) and other members.
The Panchayat Advancement Index is a multi-domain, multi-sectoral tool used to assess the holistic development, performance, and progress of panchayats—or villages, as applicable in the context of Meghalaya.
Earlier, the Nokmas from various A’kings under South West Garo Hills had recently convened at the Damalgre unit of the Nokma Council Office to express their opposition to the government-undertaken PAI survey.
They had asserted that, under the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution, such surveys are not applicable in tribal states like Meghalaya, where development activities are to be implemented through the Autonomous District Councils. survey for the benefit of all communities, stated the district administration.
