Shillong, October 22: The Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) has urged Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to honour the State Government’s earlier assurances on recruitment-related issues at the North Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS), expressing disappointment over the lack of concrete progress despite repeated commitments.
In a reminder letter to the Chief Minister, KSU Central Executive Council Assistant General Secretary Pynshaiborlang Rani sought his personal intervention to facilitate an early meeting with the Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare to address concerns over recruitment policies, reservation provisions and employment opportunities for indigenous candidates.
The Union recalled that it had launched an indefinite sit-in protest at NEIGRIHMS on May 1, 2025, demanding changes to recruitment practices, including revision of the 20:80 male-to-female nursing recruitment ratio, reconsideration of reservation provisions for indigenous tribal communities and the conduct of recruitment examinations directly by NEIGRIHMS.
During the agitation, the State Government intervened through a delegation led by then Cabinet Minister Paul Lyngdoh, along with other officials, who held discussions with the Union and NEIGRIHMS authorities.
Following assurances from the government, the KSU temporarily suspended its agitation on May 5, 2025, on the understanding that the State Government would facilitate discussions with the Union Health Minister to resolve the outstanding issues. However, the Union expressed concern that no tangible progress had been made even after more than a year since the suspension of its protest.
The KSU further pointed out that the proposed meeting with the Union Health Minister was again discussed and assured during an official meeting with the State Government on August 26, 2026, and subsequently during another meeting with the Chief Secretary on September 8, 2026. Despite these assurances, the Union said the meeting had yet to materialise.
The KSU maintained that the State Government should not limit its role to mediating between the Union and NEIGRIHMS authorities but must actively pursue solutions to issues affecting employment opportunities for indigenous people. While acknowledging that NEIGRIHMS falls under the administrative jurisdiction of the Government of India, the Union said this should not prevent the State Government from taking a proactive role in presenting the concerns of Meghalaya’s people before the appropriate central authorities.
It also stressed that NEIGRIHMS, as a premier medical institution located in Meghalaya and serving the wider North-Eastern region, should maintain recruitment policies that are fair, transparent and responsive to the interests of the local population while complying with applicable laws and constitutional provisions.
The Union urged the Chief Minister to arrange a meeting with the Union Health Minister at the earliest so that its representatives could directly present their demands concerning recruitment practices, reservation policies and employment opportunities. It also requested the State Government to formally communicate these concerns to the Centre and pursue necessary follow-up with the Union Health Ministry and NEIGRIHMS authorities to secure a clear response and a time-bound course of action.
Additionally, the KSU sought an update on the steps already taken by the government and the proposed timeline for arranging the meeting. Reiterating that its decision to suspend the agitation was based on assurances given by the State Government, the Union said it remained committed to constructive dialogue but stressed that commitments must be translated into concrete action to maintain public confidence.
The KSU appealed to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma to fulfil the earlier assurances without further delay and work with the Union and the Government of India towards a fair and lasting resolution of the recruitment-related issues at NEIGRIHMS.
