Group suggests ambit of quota policy be expanded to private, unorganised sectors
SHILLONG, June 13: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) has submitted a slew of suggestions to the Expert Committee reviewing the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy (SRP) of 1972.
The seven-point proposal aims to ensure a fair and equitable distribution of reservations among the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities.
Thomas Passah, KHNAM’s working president, emphasised the need for the reservation policy to reflect the population ratios of the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities. “We have recommended that the reservation ratio be population-based,” Passah told reporters.
One of the key suggestions is maintaining a combined 80 per cent reservation for the Khasi-Jaintia and Garo communities to prevent potential conflicts. Specifically, Passah suggested a 50 per cent reservation for the Khasi-Jaintia communities, given their larger population compared to the Garo community.
“The current SRP of 1972 provides a common 80 per cent reservation for all three tribes at the district level. However, we believe that if vacancies arise in the Garo Hills, 80 per cent of these should be reserved for the Garo community. Similarly, if vacancies arise in the Khasi-Jaintia Hills, 80 per cent should be reserved for the Khasi-Jaintia community,” Passah explained.
The KHNAM also proposed extending the state reservation policy to the private and unorganised sectors to boost youth employment. Additionally, they suggested that reserved posts should not be carried forward as currently allowed under the SRP of 1972.
Passah stressed that the reservations should be strictly for the indigenous tribes of Meghalaya and not extended to tribes from outside the state. He also highlighted the need for the reservation policy to focus solely on job reservations, excluding academic reservations.
“We also proposed removing the term ‘Autonomous’ from the SRP of 1972, as Meghalaya is no longer an autonomous state,” Passah added.
KHNAM urged the Expert Committee to expedite the review process to avoid prolonged delays in implementing these crucial changes.