Editor,
So many virtual and open space debates on the State reservation policy have occupied the minds of the public be it in funeral homes, banquets, meetings or even on public transport.
If reservations have to be relooked and reviewed through a prospective mechanism, it should first start by dismissing the inclusion of separate reservation based on tribe or ethnicity and bring in an overall plan of including 80 per cent reservation for all the three schedule tribes (STs) and inclusively for residents of the State.
As it is we have seen that for every vacancy we find reservations under ST for Khasi, Garo and Jaintia. When the three tribes have already been recognised as ST why then should a tag with ST be on. In other states, the ST status is based on one uniform reservation irrespective of the applicant but he or she should be a tribal and a permanent resident of that state.
The reservation has allowed itself to be misused by the affluent sections of the State. If one can afford to attend highly paid coaching classes or afford expensive education, he/she should defer from taking the reservation quota and instead compete with others in the general category.
Let the deserving and under privileged section of society who cannot afford be the recipient of that quota. In fact I feel that reservation in this century has taken us backwards and as a result we are not progressive in our competency or thought process.
Dominic Stadlin Wankhar
Shillong
