Shillong, May 11: The Hynñiewtrep Youths’ Council (HYC) has opposed the recent appointments of retired officials on honorary basis by the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretariat.
The secretary of the Assembly notified the appointment of Vinay Kumar Mohan, the retired joint secretary of the Lok Sabha as the Advisor, Rules Committee of the Assembly for a period of one year from April 1.
Mohan will get an honorarium of Rs 50,000 per month and additional Rs 3,000 as conveyance allowance.
The secretary also issued another order appointing Chandseng Sangma, retired UDA as Senior Nazir for two months with effect from May 5.. He will get an honorarium of Rs 25,000 per month.
The appointments of retired officials to positions such as ‘Adviser (Rules Committee) and Senior Nazir have once again raised public concern regarding the continued practice of re-engaging retired personnel while thousands of educated unemployed youths in Meghalaya continue to struggle for employment opportunities”, the HYC president Roy Kupar Synrem said.
In a statement issued on Monday, Synrem said the HYC believes that such appointments send a wrong and discouraging message to the youth of the state. At a time when many qualified young people are waiting for fair opportunities in government institutions, the repeated engagement of retired individuals blocks opportunities for fresh recruitment, promotion, and institutional growth.
The council questioned whether these appointments were truly necessary and whether eligible serving employees or qualified unemployed youths were properly considered before such decisions were made. Public institutions, especially constitutional bodies like the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly, must uphold transparency, accountability, and equal opportunity in all appointments, Synrem said.
The HYC further added that the growing trend of post-retirement appointments in government offices risk creating a culture where opportunities remain concentrated among a few individuals while deserving youth continue to remain neglected.
The HYC demanded Immediate review of these appointments .
The organisation sought public disclosure of the process and justification behind such engagements; greater priority for recruitment and promotion of eligible serving staff and qualified local youth and a transparent policy regulating post-retirement appointments in government institutions.
The HYC reiterated that Meghalaya’s youth deserve fair access to employment opportunities and that public institutions must act in the larger interest of the people, especially the younger generation who represent the future of the state.
