Arunachal passes bills to streamline Panchayati Raj, regulate money lending
Chief minister Pema Khandu says the two-tier panchayat system will standardise use of financial resources and enable faster execution of plans and policies.
india Updated: Mar 16, 2018 12:27 IST
The Arunachal Pradesh assembly on Thursday passed laws to streamline the Panchayati Raj system and to regulate money lending, with provisions to penalise and imprison money lenders who operate without licenses.
With the passage of the Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2018, the state will now have a two-tier panchayat system. The bill removes the intermediary Anchal Samiti. The Zila Parishads will now be directly connected to the gram panchayats.
The 73rd Amendment to the Constitution has a provision for a two-tier system for states with population of less than 20 lakh. Arunachal Pradesh has a population of 13.84 lakh.
“The two-tier system will standardise use of financial resources and enable faster execution of plans and policies,” chief minister Pema Khandu wrote on his Facebook page.
The Money Lending (Regulation) Bill 2018 would come to the rescue of those who have suffered at the hands of the private money lenders.
The bill has a provisions for imprisonment of up to five years and imposing a fine of Rs 5 lakh on those lending money without a licence.
“The money lending practice has paved the way for extortion and other unlawful activities in the state as debtors were forced to commit crime to earn money to repay their loans,” home minister Kumar Waii said according to a report.