Shillong, Aug 26: The state cabinet has approved the subsuming of 708 permanent posts of Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) into State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the raising of 708 part-time/volunteer personnel to fill up resulting vacancy in BWHG Bn.
Breiefing reporters after the cabinet retreat on Tuesday, Chief Minister Conrad Sangma said the decision is based on a court ruling that mandated the government to make 708 previously appointed individuals permanent employees. As permanent staff, they are no longer eligible for volunteer-related central government funding meant for part-time volunteers, such as those in the border wing home guards.
To address this, the cabinet has decided to formally transfer these 708 permanent employees to the SDRF, since the state is already paying their salaries. This move will vacate 708 volunteer posts, which can now be filled again under the central government-funded volunteer scheme.
“We will recruit 708 new volunteers using central funds and ensure that future policies prevent similar situations of mandatory permanent absorption”, Conrad said.
Fisheries service rules
Cabinet has also approved the amendment to the Meghalaya Fisheries Service Rules 2017. The decision removes the clause that disqualified employees with less than five years of service remaining from being considered for promotion. This clause, which was not present in any other department, was deemed unfair as it denied long-serving employees their rightful advancement. With its removal, the Fisheries Department will now follow the same promotion criteria as other departments, ensuring a fair and consistent process for all eligible employees.
