New Delhi, 4 August 2022 – A recent Right to Information (RTI) application has revealed that the Meghalaya Reservation Policy will no longer affect the district-level recruitment drives in the state. This means that the reservation policy currently in effect in Meghalaya will not be applicable in the selection of candidates to different government posts at the district level.
RTI activist Disparsing Rani, while referring to an office memorandum issued on 10 May 2022, noted that in the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya, the entire state reservation of 80% will be available to the Garo community (in the absence of any interested candidate belonging to the Khasi-Jaintia community).
Similarly, he noted that in Jowai or Shillong, the combined reservation of 80% will be available to Khasi-Jaintias (in the absence of any interested candidates belonging to the Garo community).
Meghalaya Reservation Policy – Details
As per the Meghalaya reservation policy:
- There will be a reservation of 40% of the vacancies in favour of Khasis and Jaintias.
- There will be a reservation of 40% of the vacancies in favour of Garos.
- There will be a reservation of 5% of vacancies in favour of any other Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes – if they relate to Meghalaya.
However, the policy also states that:
- If a sufficient number of suitable candidates are not available for filling up the reserved vacancies, then those vacancies will be available to the candidates of other categories.
- However, this deficiency will be carried forward to the next recruitment year, provided that the reservation on account of the deficiency is not carried forward for more than one year.
- After the expiry of the second year of the recruitment cycle, these reservations shall be treated as lapsed.
- It is also decided that the number of normal reserved vacancies and the “carry forward” vacancies together should not exceed 90% of the total number of vacancies in that year.
Meghalaya Reservation Policy – New Changes
As per the recent RTI shared by activist Disparsing Rani, the Meghalaya Reservation Policy will now be:
- In the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya, the entire state reservation of 80% will be available to the Garo community. This case is true in the absence of any interested candidate belonging to the Khasi-Jaintia community.
- In Jowai or Shillong regions, the entire state reservation of 80% will be available to Khasi-Jaintias. This case is true in the absence of any interested candidates belonging to the Garo community.
- While selecting candidates for district-level recruitment, preference will be given to local candidates residing permanently in the district in which the vacancies have occurred.
- This will be done for all direct recruitment posts at the entry level.
- This change will not be applicable to vacancies filled by transfer, promotion, and temporary appointments of less than 45 days. Plus, this will not be applicable to purely temporary establishments such as work staff on daily and monthly contractual appointments.
Note: Rani had filed an RTI application on the filling up of 10 vacancies in the Meghalaya High Court, which include seven from the Garo community and three from the Khasi-Jaintia community. The information stated in the article became available after the activist shared the findings of the RTI.
TO READ THE EXISTING MEGHALAYA RESERVATION POLICY, PLEASE CLICK HERE.
FAQs
What is the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy?
As per the reservation policy, there will be a reservation of 40% of the vacancies in favour of Khasis and Jaintias, 40% of the vacancies in favour of Garos, and 5% of vacancies in favour of any other Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes in Meghalaya.
Is there any exception in the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy?
If a sufficient number of suitable candidates are not available for filling up the reserved vacancies, then those vacancies will be available to the candidates of other categories. However, this deficiency will be carried forward to the next recruitment year, provided that the reservation on account of the deficiency is not carried forward for more than one year.
What is the new change in the district-level reservation policy of Meghalaya?
While selecting candidates for district-level recruitment, preference will be given to local candidates residing permanently in the district in which the vacancies have occurred. In the Garo Hills region of Meghalaya, the entire state reservation of 80% will be available to the Garo community (in the absence of any interested candidate belonging to the Khasi-Jaintia community). In Jowai or Shillong regions, the entire state reservation of 80% will be available to Khasi-Jaintias (in the absence of any interested candidates belonging to the Garo community).
