A resident of Lummawbah, Arju Dkhar, is keeping up his campaign for greater representation of Meghalaya tribals in central government jobs in the state.
In July, Dkhar had petitioned then Governor Satya Pal Malik over the issue. Today, he handed what documents he has gathered in support of his cause to the Hynñiewtrep Integrated Territorial Organisation (HITO) for the latter to take up the baton.
According to Dkhar, a Right to Information (RTI) request to the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions on the eligibility of percentage of reservation for Scheduled Tribes of Meghalaya under Group C and D posts in central government offices should be 44 per cent in Indian government offices, branches, zonal offices, regional offices, defence establishments, central government public sector utilities, financial institutions, etc.
“Had this recruitment been implemented then thousands of our youth would have been employed in the central offices in the state,” Dkhar said today.
However, when he wrote to the office of the state’s Chief Secretary in 2019 he was told that Meghalaya would have to take up the matter with the Centre.
He had also raised the matter in 2021 with the Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes but received no response and none of the three district councils in the state bothered to reply when he wrote to them too.
Since he has run into a brick wall as an individual, he has now decided to hand over the papers he has gathered to HITO.
