Meghalaya: Voice of the People Party submits suggestions to Expert Committee on Reservation Policy

A CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The Voice of the People Party (VPP) on Friday submitted its suggestions to the Expert Committee for the review of the Meghalaya State Job Reservation Policy.

In its suggestions to the Expert Committee, the VPP stated that the percentage of reservation for Khasi-Jaintia, Garos, Scheduled Castes and other tribes should be based in terms of their population as per the 1971 census and that the Khasi-Jaintia community should be taken as one community.

The VPP also suggested that separate percentage of reservation should be allotted for the SC and the other STs.

In its suggestions to the Expert Committee, the VPP stated that proficiency in either of the Associate Official Languages of the State, Khasi or Garo should be made as a condition for consideration for appointments to both the reserved and unreserved posts in the State.

"Only the domicile of Meghalaya should be considered for appointments to both the reserved and unreserved posts in Meghalaya," the VPP stated.

Meanwhile, the VPP said that the state job reservation policy in spite of the fact that it states ‘representation in terms of their population’, the accurate official census data was not taken into consideration while allocating the percentage of reservation.

"Therefore, the allocation of 40 percent for the Khasi-Jaintia, 40 percent for the Garos and 5 percent for the SC and other STs lacked logical and scientific basis. The percentage was based on assumption rather than on facts. Hence, it went against the very basis of the Policy itself," VPP president, Ardent Miller Basaiawmoit stated.

Basaiawmoit also said that the failure of the Government of Meghalaya to put in place the roster system while implementing the job reservation was eventually corrected by the judgment of the honorable Meghalaya High Court in 2022.

"In view of this, the over-representation and under-representation of the respective communities due to interchangeability provision of the 1972 Policy as per the allotted percentage would be gradually corrected henceforth," he said.

 Also Read: Meghalaya's VPP Rejects NDA Alliance, Willing to Support INDIA Bloc (sentinelassam.com)

Also Watch: