SHILLONG:
The Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) on Monday sought the intervention of the Chairman of Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) PR Marwein for speeding up the job recruitment process for the vacant posts in the different government departments.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, FKJGP president Dundee C Khongsit said the MPSC chairman has highlighted the problems faced by the Commission while conducting the examination for the various posts.
“He (Marwein) has pointed out that the reason behind the delay in the recruitment process is due to the large number of applicants for a small number of posts. There are over 20,000 applicants for 5-6 posts. Following the old system of accepting applications has further slowed down the process,” he said.
Khongsit said the federation has suggested the need for the state government to immediately create an Information Technology (IT) cell within the MPSC office so that use of technology can to a great extent facilitate the online application.
“We have also discussed other ways and means to speed up the job recruitment process by the MPSC,” he said.
He informed that the Chairman of the MPSC has also cited the Covid pandemic and the court’s direction to have roster system in place as the other reasons for the delay in the recruitment process.
With regard to the delay in advertising the vacant posts in the different departments, Khongsit said, “The chairman has requested us to ask the different departments to speed up the matter by informing the MPSC.”
Meanwhile, the FKJGP has reiterated its demand for the state government to come up with the state employment policy.
Khongsit said that it would be an irresponsible statement on the part of the chief minister if he is denying that the state employment policy is not mandatory.
“When we talk about the state employment policy, it doesn’t mean only for the government sector but for the private sector as well. Government jobs are almost saturated and the government cannot accommodate all the unemployed youths. That is why we are looking towards the private sector where telecom companies, private banks and others are coming up. By having our own state employment policy, the government can have provisions to ensure 80 per cent jobs are reserved for the people of the state,” he asserted.
He further added that as per the Industrial Policy 2017, 80 per cent of unskilled workers and 50 per cent of technical posts are reserved for local indigenous people but such provisions do not apply to private banks and other companies. Therefore, the state needs to have its own state employment policy which will to a great extent help in addressing the unemployment crisis faced by our local people.
When asked, Khongsit said that there is nobody to see that such existing provisions are fully implemented by the industries. “Government is sitting idle and NGOs have to enforce the existing laws whenever they get complaints from the public,” he added.