The Meghalaya Cabinet has approved key policy changes aimed at ensuring fairness in promotions and strengthening disaster response capacity in the state.At a meeting held on Tuesday, the Cabinet cleared an amendment to the Meghalaya Fisheries Service Rules, 2017, removing a controversial clause that had barred employees with less than five years of service left before retirement from being considered for promotion. The provision, which was unique to the Fisheries Department, had long been criticised for denying senior officers their legitimate chance at career advancement despite years of service.
Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma, in a post on his official X handle, said the amendment ensures uniformity across departments and offers relief to officers nearing the end of their careers. “With this change, the Fisheries Department will now follow the same promotion norms as other state departments. It is a step towards fairness and equality,” he wrote. Alongside this decision, the Cabinet also approved the subsuming of 708 permanent posts of Border Wing Home Guards (BWHG) into the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The move comes after a court ruling directed the government to regularize individuals who were earlier working as volunteers.
To ensure the Border Wing continues to function effectively, the Cabinet also authorized the recruitment of an equal number of new volunteers into the BWHG battalion. Officials said this two-fold step will both strengthen disaster preparedness and maintain security support along sensitive border areas.