SHILLONG, APR 23: The Khun Hynniewtrep National Awakening Movement (KHNAM) on Thursday submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary Dr Shakhil Ahmmed, alleging nepotism in the appointment of daily wage workers by the Secretariat Administrative Department (N), and sought urgent action to fill vacant sanctioned posts.
In the letter, KHNAM working president Thomas Passah cited RTI replies from SAD(N), SAD(E), and SAD(Accts) to highlight discrepancies in employment records and sudden discontinuation of long-serving casual workers.
According to the representation, a letter dated November 20, 2025, indicated 107 vacant sanctioned posts in SAD(N), including 81 peons, 2 chowkidars, 2 malis, 17 cleaners, and 5 sweepers.
A separate reply from SAD(E) dated November 26, 2025, showed 325 vacancies, including 137 LDAs, 128 typists, 32 Stenographer Grade II, 17 Stenographer Grade III, and 11 drivers.
“After careful verification, we found that the numbers of daily wage employees from April 2023 to September 2025 provided by SAD(Accts) did not match the list received from the Under Secretary, SAD(N), for the same period,” Passah stated in the letter.
The party noted that SAD(N) engages 121 to 139 casual employees on daily wages each month. However, it claimed that close to 10 employees, whose names appeared every month till November 2025, “have disappeared” from subsequent lists.
“We have noticed names of employees, whose name was mentioned in every month without any gap, and we have been informed that they are relatives of officials of the Department or individuals appointed by officials,” the letter said.
KHNAM further alleged that some casual workers with over 10 years of service were terminated instead of being conferred Regular Casual Worker (RCW) status under the Regular Casual Worker Scheme, 1996.
“There are occasions when the department stops the service of selected employee(s) but they are called back after a month or two. However, after Nov 2025 we have observed that there are employees who were never called back, instead new individuals are called to replace them,” Passah wrote.
The representation added that the names of these “approximately 10 casual employees are mentioned between Sl. No. 1 to 20 in all the office orders for the past months up to Nov 2025, which means that they are senior casual employees in terms of years of service.”
Based on its findings, KHNAM requested the chief secretary to “look at the unemployment crisis of our youth, the vacant sanctioned posts need to be filled up at the earliest.”
It also urged that “the senior and old casual employees who were never called back after Nov 25 need to be called back as they are the bread earners of the family.”
“There is a need to eradicate nepotism while making appointments. It is sad to see that NOK and persons close to officials are getting jobs and others are denied,” the letter stated.
 on Thursday submitted a representation to the Chief Secretary Dr Shakhil Ahmmed, alleging nepotism in the appointment of daily wage workers by the Secretariat Administrative Department (N), and sought urgent action to fill vacant sanctioned posts.){kind=link}