Shillong, Aug 23: The Hynñiewtrep Youth Council (HYC) has demanded from the Meghalaya government to come up with a law which will ensure 80 per cent reservation to local tribal of the state in private sector jobs.

A memorandum was submitted in this regard to Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong when the HYC delegation met him on Friday.

HYC president, Robertjune Kharjahrin said that the demand was made to the state government to enact and implement a law which will reserve 80 percent of job to local tribal residents of the state in shop, industry, factory, services provider agency, companies, firms, construction works, etc.

Kharjahrin said that states like Andhra Pradesh had recently passed a law which reserved 75 per cent jobs in all categories in industrial units, factories, joint ventures as well as projects executed on public-private-partnership (PPP) mode.

The deputy chief minister assured the HYC delegation that the political and law departments would asked to examine the matter.

Stating that there has been growing unemployment problem being faced by educated youth of the state, the HYC pointed out that most of private job providers including industries and factories operating in Meghalaya are engaging manpower from outside the state on the pretext that locals do not possess the required qualification or skill to take up the job.

Kharjahrin also pointed out that even the state’s industrial policy which clearly mentioned 60 per cent job reservation for locals, have not been adhered to despite the fact that the government has been providing subsidy to many industries and factories in the state.

“One of the conditions in the Meghalaya Industrial Investment Promotion Scheme, 2016 for an establishment to avail benefits under the scheme such as subsidies is that, it must employ local tribal not less than 60 per cent of the total employee strength. But it is very unfortunate that this policy is not being properly implemented in letter and spirit,” he said.

“The tribal economic interest is compromised when companies do not employ the local tribal residents of the state, and this leads to influx of immigrants and can also lead to compromising the security of the state,” he said.

The HYC leader also said that the government should stop providing subsidy to industries and factories that failed to comply with the policy.