SHILLONG, Aug 27: The State Assembly on Tuesday rejected the Meghalaya Reservation for Non-Creamy Layer of Scheduled Tribes (in State Reservation Policy) bill, 2024 moved by VPP’s North Shillong MLA Adelbert Nongrum.
After Nongrum moved to introduce the bill, Deputy Speaker Timothy D Shira, who was in the Chair, put the question before the House on whether leave be granted to introduce the bill but there was no consensus among the members after which the bill was rejected.
Interestingly, none of opposition MLAs from the TMC and the Congress supported the bill.
As per the statement of object and reasons of the bill, definitive empirical data available with the Government of Meghalaya clearly shows that the economic condition of a greater percentage of the Scheduled Tribe population of the state is weak and disadvantaged.
It states: “Whereas Articles 16(4) and 15(5) of the Constitution of India allows for the state to make provisions so as to ensure that the benefits of reservation reach the most disadvantaged class of citizens…”
“And since a seven-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in a 6:1 majority has upheld the validity of sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories, and gave a decision that states have the power to create these sub-classifications…”
“So to address inter se economic disparities within the Scheduled Tribes category in the state, and to allocate opportunities in public employment and higher education more effectively, a suitable legislation is required in interest of uplifting the disadvantaged people of the state,” the bill read.
