The United Democratic Party (UDP) will not wade into the issue of relaxation in the upper age limit for police recruits.
UDP vice-president Allantry F Dkhar today said that experts should decide whether a relaxation is appropriate.
A group of youth, led by activist Barilang Pyngrope, are advocating for aligning the upper age limit for police recruitment with the office memorandum from 2022 that extended eligibility from 27 to 32 years (32 to 37 for Scheduled Tribes) for various government posts. The relaxation was not meant for police and certain other jobs, however, where physical fitness was deemed essential.
Dkhar today emphasised the importance of physical health and well-being in organisations like the police and suggested that it would be best for experts to make the decision.
He clarified that the party’s proposal in the previous government aimed to extend employment opportunities for youth who had missed out due to the removal of the upper age limit. He also stressed that specialised skills should not be restricted by age limits.
Meanwhile, Dkhar has expressed dissatisfaction with the execution of the Common University Entrance Test (CUET) by the National Testing Agency (NTA) and North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU).
He said that there was inadequate preparation by the organisers, which resulted in numerous issues during the exam, including lengthy delays that meant that the test only ended at 9:30pm.
He pinned most of the blame on the NTA as CUET is a central government creation, with only minimal roles for the state government and NEHU.
Dkhar called for those responsible for the fiasco to be held accountable and to ensure that such mistakes do not occur again.
Regarding demands to further exempt the state from CUET, Dkhar refrained from providing a definitive response, indicating that the Chief Minister and Education Minister are addressing the matter.
However, he expressed hope for leniency towards affected students to prevent any disruptions to their academic pursuits.
