JOWAI, June 16: A significant portion of Meghalaya’s workforce, including contractual employees, daily wage earners, and workers engaged in various government schemes and public sector units, have raised a collective appeal for educational and job reservations.
Khroo Pariat, one of the stakeholders who is associated with different associations and unions in Jaintia Hills, has formally requested the Secretary of the Expert Committee on the review of Meghalaya’s reservation policy to reserve 10% of academic and job opportunities for the children of these workers.
The proposal emphasises that this reservation should apply only to individuals who are permanent residents of Meghalaya and whose family income does not exceed Rs 1.5 lakh per annum. This measure is aimed at supporting the children of workers such as SSA and RMSA teachers, NHM staff, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, domestic helpers, street vendors, and farmers, who, despite their academic potential, often lose out on opportunities due to financial constraints.
Pariat highlighted that many children from these backgrounds perform well academically but struggle to secure jobs in government and PSU sectors due to the high costs of books, coaching, and further education.
As a result, they often end up in the same low-income jobs as their parents, perpetuating a cycle of poverty.
The appeal tries to underscore the silent and tireless contributions of these workers to the state’s development and calls for the government to acknowledge and support their efforts by ensuring their children have better opportunities for growth and security.
The proposed reservation is seen as a step towards the overall prosperity of the state and the nation.
Pariat’s request to the Personnel & AR(B) Department in Shillong is framed as a means to provide equitable growth and to uplift this substantial yet underprivileged segment of society.
It may be mentioned that the an Expert Committee has been constituted to review the State Reservation Policy of 1972.
Many stakeholders are either demanding a hike in the Khasi-Jaintia quota from 40 per cent to 50 per cent, while some are demanding revision of the job quota policy based on the population of the three tribes.
