Age relaxation for ST candidates in civil exams

SHILLONG: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has sought the chief secretary Y. Tsering’s intervention in regard to relaxation of the age for Scheduled Tribes (ST) candidates appearing in the state civil services examination.
In this connection, the KHNAM in a memorandum to the chief secretary demanded that the advertisement notified by the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) dated July 24, 2017 be re-advertised or amended by increasing the qualifying age to 40 years for SC/ST.
“We found that the eligibility age limit for civil services in Tripura, Assam, Manipur and Mizoram, is up to 40 years.” Thomas Passah, the president of KHNAM’s youth wing, told reporters here on Thursday.
He said there was a provision in the Meghalaya Service Rules, 1975, that permitted increase in the upper age relaxation for SC/ST candidates.
“As per the Meghalaya Service Rules of Section 9 Para (ii) says : ‘Provided that the upper age limit may be relaxed in respect of candidates belonging to special categories in accordance with any general or special order issued by the government from time to time,” Passah said. The youth leader of the regional political party expressed concern at the high rate of educated unemployed youth asserting that the government was unable to tap their talent into various services.
On the other hand, he called upon the state government to amend the Meghalaya Service Rules, 1975 to incorporate a provision that a candidate should have compulsory working knowledge of local language.
He referred to the Mizoram Civil Service (Combined Competitive Examination), Regulations, 2011 as published in the Mizoram gazette, which stated that working knowledge of Mizo language was compulsory.