The expert committee to review the state’s reservation policy in jobs and education has received a suggestion to keep a portion of the quota for those from a poor economic background and not just based on ethnicity.
The suggestion was made by social activist Khroo Lamsalanki Pariat, who has represented the interests of Mid-Day Meal scheme workers, among others.
The idea is a welcome one as the arguments for and against the status quo have largely revolved around Garo and Khasi-Jaintia groups and political parties pressing for their own community’s interests.
Pariat called for 10 percent of jobs and education slots to be reserved for children of poor daily wage workers, farmers, etc. Currently, the reservation policy keeps aside the majority of government jobs and education slots based solely on ethnicity, with 40 percent alone for Garos and another 40 percent for Khasi-Jaintias.
According to the current policy, even the richest Garos and Khasi-Jaintias who can afford to send their children to elite private schools, extra tuition, etc can avail of the quota and this gives them a huge advantage over the poorest tribals.
In his letter to the expert committee, Pariat said that a substantial part of the population of Meghalaya is tribal and poor.
He urged the committee to make a provision to reserve 10 percent in the academic and job reservation policy for the children of this section of society.
Pariat proposed that only individuals who are permanent residents of Meghalaya and whose parents’/guardians’ income is not more than Rs 5 lakh per annum should be eligible for this reservation.
Children from economically weaker backgrounds have demonstrated their ability by scoring well in academics but often lose out on state jobs as they cannot afford expensive books, coaching or further studies. This hindrance, Pariat said, consigned them to work as domestic or daily wage workers, just like their parents, without any improvement in their academic or employment status.
He stressed that this section of society has worked silently and tirelessly to provide for their family’s daily needs and has also been putting all their energy into contributing to the growth of the state and nation.
