Three months after it was formed to look into the fitness of the 50-year-old reservation policy, the expert committee that was constituted for the purpose has only has one meeting so far.
A delegation of the Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) today expressed concern over the slow progress and met the Chief Secretary to seek an update on the work of the expert committee.
KHNAM working president Thomas Passah said that the last discussion on the reservation policy was held on May 31 and after the formation of the expert committee there has been no development at all.
According to Passah, the Chief Secretary during the meeting told them that an online meeting was held on November 23 while the second online meeting will be held on December 6.
After this, a third meeting will be held here in Shillong after which the stakeholders, including political parties and pressure groups, will be asked to submit their recommendations to the committee.
KHNAM, however, feels that amending a two-page reservation policy should not take so much time.
“We had expected that the expert committee would fast track its work but the Chief Secretary has told us to wait,” Passah said.
After the expert committee finalises its recommendations, another meeting with stakeholders will be held.
In addition to its five proposed amendments, KHNAM has another – to bring the private and organised sector under the ambit of the reservation policy, which currently only applies to state government jobs. The party wants it extended so that local tribals benefit from 80 per cent reservation in private jobs also.
