In Meghalaya, divide over the state’s reservation policy deepens

An expert committee appointed by the Meghalaya government to review the state’s reservation policy has received contrasting demands from groups from the Khasi-Jaintia hills and the Garo hills, signalling a widening divide over the issue.

The Meghalaya State Reservation Policy of 1972, which has been in place since the state was formed, reserves 40% of government jobs for the Khasi-Jaintia tribes, 40% for the Garo tribe and 5% for other tribes. The remaining 15% jobs are available for general category candidates.

The last census conducted in 2011 showed that the Khasi-Jaintia tribes make up 46.59% and Garos 31.56% of Meghalaya’s population.

Some Khasi-Jaintia groups have made representations asking for state government jobs to be reserved in proportion to their population while others have demanded a quota of 50% for the community.

In contrast, Garo groups want reservations to be based on social and economic backwardness. In their submissions to the committee, they have pointed out that despite reservations improving the community’s share of jobs at the lower levels of government, Garos remain under-represented in higher-level jobs because of the way promotions are conducted.

The expert committee was formed in May 2023 after the leader of the newly-formed Voice of the People Party in the Khasi Hills went on a 10-day hunger...

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