The Voice of the People Party (VPP) which initiated the demand for review of the State job reservation policy has proposed that job reservation for Khasi-Jaintia, Garos, Scheduled Castes (SCs) and other Scheduled Tribes (STs) 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 today through its president Ardent M. Basaiawmoit submitted its suggestions to the expert committee for review of the job reservation policy. The committee is headed by Justice (Retd) Mool Chand Garg.
In its suggestions to the expert committee, the VPP also suggested that a separate percentage of reservation should be allotted for the SCs and the other STs.
Further, the party 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.
It also said that only the domicile of Meghalaya should be considered for appointments to both the reserved and unreserved posts in Meghalaya.
The VPP said that in spite of the fact that the State job reservation policy 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 per cent for the Khasi-Jaintia, 40 per cent for the Garos and 5 per cent 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,” the party said.
According to the party, the total population of Meghalaya in 1971 was, 10,11,699, the total ST population then was 8,14,230 which was 80.4 per cent of the total population and the total SC population was 3887 which was 0.38 per cent of the total population of the State.
Further, the VPP pointed out that the total Khasi-Jaintia population in 1971 was 4,57,064 which is 45.2 per cent and that of the Garos was 3,28,613 which is 32.5 percent of the total population of the state.
It also said that the population of other STs in 1971 was 28,553 which consisted of 2.8 per cent of the State’s population.
The party also said that the failure of the State government to put in place the roster system while implementing the job reservation policy was eventually corrected by the judgment of the 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,” it added.
