SHILLONG, JAN 22: Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) on Friday questioned the “legality” of the resolution on the state job reservation policy, as it was passed prior to the attainment of statehood.
While keeping its demand for reviewing of the policy in abeyance for the moment, the party has also decided to find out whether the state government in the past had also passed similar executive orders to implement the policy.
It further questioned the source of law in which the state government had included the academic quota in the reservation policy which exclusively talks about ‘job recruitments’ for indigenous tribes of Meghalaya.
The decision was taken after a discussion on the state job reservation policy held with like-minded and eminent citizens coming from academic background and retired government officials in the city on Friday.
“The legality of the resolution on the job reservation policy is questionable because it was passed prior to attainment of statehood which was on January 12, 1972,” KHNAM general secretary Batkupar Wahlang said while quoting an RTI report provided by the government personnel department.
He said, “If it was passed by way of introducing an ordinance, it has to be legislated by the State Legislative Assembly (which did not exist that time). Moreover prior to statehood, there was no cabinet or full-fledged assembly.”
Looking at the chronicle of events, Wahlang said, “The present reservation policy cannot be implemented as it was passed prior to attainment of statehood.”
“Therefore, we have decided to find out the facts and figures on the legality of this 1972 resolution on the reservation policy,” he said adding “We will file RTIs to find out whether if any sort of executive orders passed by the government in the past after the attainment of statehood.”
The KHNAM leader also informed that the party would have to find out in what way the government went ahead to bargain for academic quotas from the job reservation policy.
“We would have to find more information on the use of the job reservation policy for academic purposes,” Wahlang said while adding as per the resolution it has clearly mentioned that reservation policy is for “posts and services” only.
He was also of the opinion that the state government should not have use the same reservation which is specific for jobs, for the purpose of academics.
Also emphasizing on the urgent need of the state education policy to deal with such concerned, Wahlang said, “We feel that academic reservation should be based on merits of the candidates because for 44 years now, Garos are enjoying 40 per cent quota for medical and engineering studies but still we don’t know where are the doctors and engineers studying under 40 per cent reservation.”
Speaking in the same line, KHNAM working president Adelbert Nongrum said, “The question that arises is from which source of law the government had applied the academic quota from the job reservation policy.”
Meanwhile, the KHNAM has decided to convene a meeting in the month of March to again discuss on the issue before taking a decision on the course of action to be adopted.- By Our Reporter
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