Meghalaya govt forms panel on quota roster system, puts all appointments on hold
The decision was taken after an all-party meeting chaired by chief minister Conrad K Sangma at the secretariat in the state Capital, Shillong
The Meghalaya government on Friday constituted a committee headed by minister of health and family welfare Ampareen Lyngdoh to address concerns over the roster of the job reservation policy in the state and put on hold all new recruitments until the panel submits its report.
The decision was taken after an all-party meeting chaired by chief minister Conrad K Sangma at the secretariat in the state Capital, Shillong, in which leaders of both the ruling and opposition parties were present. The opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) have been demanding a relook into the reservation system in the state.
The roster system determines the reservation of posts for different categories. Since 1972, 40% of the state government jobs are reserved for the Garo and Khasi communities each, 5% for other tribes residing in the state, and 15% for the general category.
“We have decided that in order to ensure that all the different concerns that are there are clarified, a committee is proposed to be set up which will be chaired by the health minister Ampareen Lyngdoh and different members from different political parties will be in it. We will allow them to seek clarification and give further suggestions on how they propose or suggest that we should move forward,” Sangma told reporters after the meeting.
“We have agreed we will keep things on hold till the committee is satisfied and give us a final report, which we expect to be happening in a very, very short time,” he added.
“I would like to clarify now today that all the appointments that were made in the past and all decisions that were taken were taken as per the reservation policy and hence, they are completely and legally binding on the government. Hence, the question of us going back and looking at it and cancelling or making adjustments does not arise,” Sangma said.
“Since it is a sensitive topic, we as a government felt it is important to reach out, to discuss and it is important to take everybody into confidence before we move forward and hence, we have decided to come up with this committee,” he added.
However, leaders of the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) and the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) staged a walkout to protest against the government’s “failure” to discuss the need to review the reservation policy.
