The All Khasi Hills A’Chik Federation (AKHAF) has submitted a petition to the expert committee on reservation, calling for either the maintenance of the status quo or opening up job and education quotas to Garos resident in Khasi-Jaintia Hills.
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. Some political parties and organisations want the latter raised and the former decreased to better reflect the populations of the two communities.
AKHAF president Clivestar Ch Marak said that the percentages should be maintained for the overall benefit of the people. However, if the committee is thinking of altering the policy, then, Marak said, it should reduce the 20 percent that is open to the general category and other tribals to 12 percent and use the balance to increase the reservation of Khasi-Jaintia to 48 per cent.
However, this 48 per cent should be open to Garos who are ordinarily resident in Khasi-Jaintia Hills, the AKHAF leader opined. There are significant populations of Garos who live in Ri-Bhoi as well as West and South West Khasi Hills.
Marak said that the Garos inhabiting Khasi-Jaintia Hills are still backward in every aspect of life, be it in terms of education, economics and living standards.
