KSU demands NEIGRIHMS to allow indigenous candidates to write job examination in Meghalaya

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaDecember 6, 2023

The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) on Wednesday asked the authority of the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS) to allow local indigenous candidates to write their examination in the state as was opted by them.

A delegation of the KSU met and submitted a memorandum before the Director, NEIGRIHMS Prof (Dr.) Nalin Mehta expressing resentment against the ongoing recruitment process for Group B and C posts.

The letter said the Union is livid to learn that most of the candidates belonging from the indigenous community of the Meghalaya who have applied for various posts of Group B and C are directed to give their examination in other centres which falls in other States.

“There is a strong sense of bitter feeling among the local indigenous candidates that their centres were intentionally and deliberately given in other states so as to devoid them from the opportunity and to cater the non-local non-indigenous candidates for such post(s),” KSU general secretary Donald V Thabah said while adding “The Union find it bogus and phony that candidates from Meghalaya needs to give their examination in other States for recruitment of post(s) in the State itself and this is not the first time that this has happened and the Union cannot allow it to be a precedence in the mere future.”

He said the Union appealed to the appropriate authorities that they must understand that most of the candidates from the State come from an economically weaker section of the society and it’s not possible for them to travel to other states to give examinations hence it devoid them of an equal opportunity.

Moreover, the date of issuance of admit card from the date of examination is very less and even for those who can afford the travel and lodging expenses, it is a herculean task to manage it in such a short time frame.

Secondly, there are candidate(s) who have applied for multiple post(s) in Grade B and C and all the examinations for all the posts are on the same date and time and this again devoid them of opportunity. Since, they have applied and paid the examination fees, they ought to be given an opportunity to attempt the examination.

“Thus, the Union would strongly like to urge that the matter be immediately resolved and local indigenous candidates who have opted to write their examination in the State must be allowed to do so and in the mere future, such issues and problems must not crop up,” Thabah said.

Further, the KSU leader said that the Union is also of the opinion that NEIGRIHMS should conduct its own examination instead of outsourcing it to the other companies because there is always room for discrepancies and such issues mentioned above are always common with the companies from other states because they would not understand the opinions and views of the people of the State. 

The KSU has also demanded that preferences should be given to the local indigenous tribal of Meghalaya for any post (s) if the candidate is eligible for such post.

“The Union would also like to humbly urge that preferences should be given to the local indigenous tribal of Meghalaya for any post(s) if the candidate is eligible for such post and the appropriate authorities should slide more towards the locals in the unreserved categories,” Thabah added.