Major decisions covering health services, land administration and judicial recruitment rules approved
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Dec 9: The State Cabinet on Tuesday approved five major agenda items, with Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma outlining decisions that covered health services, land administration, and judicial recruitment rules.
Following the meeting, Sangma said the Cabinet reviewed the long-pending matter of bonded nurses and paramedical staff appointed between 2008 and 2012. He said that 221 bonded nurses from that period, along with paramedical personnel, had previously been included in a list of appointments made after 2007 that were to be re-advertised due to concerns over procedure.
He said the Cabinet held detailed discussions with the Health Department and also took into account representations from the bonded nurses.
Based on these consultations, he stated that the government concluded the appointments had followed the procedures in place at the time. Consequently, the Cabinet decided to formally recognise the appointments of all bonded nurses and bonded paramedics from 2008 to 2012.
The Chief Minister added that recruitment for these posts would not be carried out since the appointments have now been approved.
The Cabinet also cleared the Meghalaya Pharmacist Service Rules, a framework that, Sangma noted, did not previously exist for pharmacists in the state. Alongside this, the Cabinet adopted the Meghalaya Mental Health Care Rules.
The Chief Minister said that the rules were crucial as various institutions in Meghalaya had been handling mental healthcare and rehabilitation activities without a governing policy, and the new rules would now provide a structured mechanism for operations.
In another decision, the Cabinet reviewed the process for renewing access areas on government lease lands. Sangma pointed out that a large number of such lands in and around Shillong were leased many years ago, with renewals typically required every 30 years.
He said the existing procedure was lengthy because documentation had to be routed to the government. To address this, the Cabinet delegated most renewal powers to the Deputy Commissioner, ensuring faster processing without delays at the government level.
The Cabinet also approved amendments to the Meghalaya Judicial Service Rules, 2006, and the Meghalaya Higher Judicial Service Rules, 2015.
The Chief Minister said that the changes reflected recommendations from the judiciary and related to the conduct of examinations, the nature of exams, syllabus, direct recruitment methods, recruitment percentages and overall procedures. He added that requirements such as mandatory knowledge of Khasi or Garo were also included, and the government had accepted these recommendations.
