Employees of the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports (YAS) today staged a peaceful demonstration against the government’s decision to depute a Manipur Civil Service (MCS) officer to the post of Joint Director, alleging that the move violates the department’s recruitment rules and deprives eligible departmental officers of their rightful promotional opportunities.
Addressing the media during the protest, Davis Kangjam of the YAS Employees’ Association said the Joint Director’s post is a promotional post under the department’s cadre structure, and filling it through deputation undermines the career progression of serving officers.
He pointed out that the department has been functioning under acute manpower shortages. As of March 31, 2026, only 307 employees were serving against a sanctioned strength of 725, leaving 418 posts vacant. Despite operating with less than half of its sanctioned workforce, the department has continued to organise major national sporting events, implement youth development programmes and discharge its responsibilities efficiently, he said.
Kangjam maintained that instead of protecting the department’s institutional framework, the government had chosen to bypass its own recruitment rules by appointing an officer on deputation to a post meant for promotion within the department. He said the decision has demoralised employees and raised serious concerns over the future of the department’s administrative structure.
Clarifying that the agitation was not directed against any individual officer or the MCS, Kangjam said the protest was aimed at safeguarding the department’s cadre system.
