Khasi, Jaintia groups demand significant job reservations for indigenous communities in Meghalaya

Indigenous Groups in Meghalaya Advocate for Increased Job Reservations

By MyNewsNE Desk On Jun 14, 2024 Last updated Jun 14, 2024

Northeast Desk, 14th June: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and Khasi-Jaintia National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) have submitted recommendations to the Expert Committee on State Reservation Policy, advocating for significant job reservations for indigenous communities in Meghalaya.

In a letter to the committee, KHNAM President Pyndapborlang Saibon proposed a 50% job reservation for the Khasi and Jaintia communities. The KSU supported this proposal, advocating a 50% reservation specifically for the Scheduled Tribe Khasi-Jaintia community, with an overall 80% reservation for the major indigenous groups – Khasi, Jaintia, and Garo – based on merit.

Saibon emphasized that the reservation percentages should reflect the population structure of these indigenous groups, aligning with policy guidelines.

In another letter, the KSU proposed a 40% reservation for the Scheduled Tribe Garo community and 5% for other Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes, leaving 5% unreserved for direct state-level recruitment.

For district-level positions, KSU recommended maintaining the current policy with a 90% combined reservation (50% for Khasi-Jaintias and 40% for Garos), alongside 5% for other Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. They also suggested prioritizing local candidates for vacancies in their respective districts.

The KSU further called for 100% reservation for local Khasi-Jaintia candidates in teaching positions within the Khasi-Jaintia region and 100% reservation for local Garo candidates in the Garo region.

Additionally, the KSU proposed exempting temporary appointments of less than one year, work-charged staff, and daily/monthly-rated staff from the reservation policy. They recommended implementing the roster system prospectively and eliminating the provision for carrying forward backlog reserved vacancies.

The Expert Committee is set to review these proposals as it finalizes the State Reservation Policy, aiming to address employment concerns for indigenous communities in Meghalaya.