FKJGP asks Govt to fill up over 7,000 vacant posts

Addressing a rally held at Madan Iewrynghep, FKJGP president Dundee C Khongsit said, “We demand the government to fill up all the vacant posts because as per RTI findings of Disparsing Rani, there are around 7,653 posts lying vacant in the different government departments.”

“Secondly, the government should come up with a state employment policy so that it will streamline the recruitment process in all the central offices stationed here in our state as well as the private sectors including the industries and private banks,” he said.

According to him, once the state employment policy is in place, the government can put in some provisions to ensure first preference is given to local unemployed youth in the private sectors.

Khongsit further asserted the need for the government to come up with a state youth commission that will address the problems faced by the unemployed youth while applying for jobs.

“We are aware of the problems faced by the unemployed youth who are seeking jobs in different departments. We have received complaints that there is lots of harassment against those youth who are applying for the different jobs especially from the high ranking officials. That is why if the government comes up with the Meghalaya state youth commission, it will look into all these grievances of the youth.”

Khongsit said the organization will be meeting the government to submit a memorandum on the matter in the next few days. “We will try to put a timeframe for the government to comply with our demands,” he added.

When asked, the FKJGP president however said the demand to do away with interviews for job recruitments is something the organization would like to discuss and debate before taking a stand.

Earlier in his speech, Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) chief Lambokstarwell Marngar said if talked about the Meghalaya Public Services Commission (MPSC) and District Selection Committee (DSC), there are always allegations of such institutes adopting illegal means or job recruitment.

“How many more years should we talk about this illegal means in the recruitment process?” he asked.

He continued: “I often heard youth sharing their problems saying their parents had to take loan for their education. However, after completion of their studies, again their parents had to take another loan to buy jobs for them.”

Marngar said this is because the mistake had been committed by those sitting in the secretariat who are behaving like bosses instead of leaders.

“Therefore, if we continue to allow these bosses to sit in the secretariat, the state will never see policies that will benefit the people. Hence, we need leaders to bring a change for the better future of the youth and the state,” he said.

Also taking part in the rally, Hynniewtrep National Youth Front (HNYF) president Sadon K Blah slammed the state government’s Meghalaya Youth Policy for speaking more about events but is completely silent on measures to generate employment for the youth.

He also rued the fact that the government has failed to ensure 60% job reservation for local people in industries.

“We have more than 10 cement factories in Jaintia Hills but when we conducted inspection to these factories, we found that most of the employees with plump posts are people from outside the state whereas our own local people are just carrying buckets to clean their rooms and bring them tea,” Blah said adding “The so-called 60% job reservation for locals is not at all being implemented since majority of the workforce in these cement plants are from outside the state.”

Blah further alleged that the only people from the state who benefited with good positions in such industries are those who are acting as “shields”. “Such local people are ready to defend the industries at any cost especially if any issue is being raised by NGOs. Therefore, we also have to point fingers at ourselves and not only at the government when it comes to this issue of unemployment faced by the youth in the state,” he said.

Further, the HNYF president also alleged the state government of playing politics with the issue of unemployment by organizing different kinds of festivals.

“Organizing festivals is also one way to fool the youth so that they forget about the reality that they are jobless,” he said.

Urging the people of the state to vote wisely in the upcoming 2023 assembly elections, Blah said, “The ministers and MLAs will again approach you for the job (to become your representative) but I urge the people to choose a bright future over money.”

He said a few months from now, the ministers will be declaring their assets and “you will witness their assets have increased from Rs 5 crore to Rs 20 crore. This kind of concentration of wealth is a result of corruption and looting from the public.”

By Our Reporter