Shillong, Aug 27: The House on Tuesday rejected a private member’s bill moved by by Adelbert Nongrum (VPP) on reservation for less privileged people under non-creamy layer category based on a Supreme Court order.
The Meghalaya Reservation for Non-Creamy Layer of Scheduled Tribes (in State Reservation Policy) Bill, 2024 proposed by the VPP member from North Shillong was rejected by voice vote in the Assembly.
Earlier, Nongrum said the Bill seeks to provide for reservation of non-creamy layer of Scheduled Tribes in the state while implementing the State Reservation Policy.
“Definitive empirical data available with the government of Meghalaya clearly shows that the economic condition of a greater percentage of the Scheduled Tribe population of the state is weak and disadvantaged”, Nongrum said.
“And whereas Articles 16 (4) and 15 (5) of the Constitution of India allows for the state to make provisions so as to ensure that the benefits of reservation reach the most disadvantaged class of citizens,”he said.
Nongrum said a seven-judge constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in a 6:1 majority has upheld the validity of sub-classification within the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories, and gave a decision that states have the power to create these sub-classifications
“So to address the economic disparities within the Scheduled Tribes category in the state, and to allocate opportunities in public employment and higher education more effectively, a suitable legislation is required in interest of uplifting the disadvantaged people of the state,” he added.
