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The Hindu
07-08-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Composition of panel to review job quota in Nagaland slammed by tribal group
A body of five non-backward Naga tribes has criticised the formation of a commission to review the job reservation policy for 10 backward tribes in Nagaland. On Wednesday (August 6, 2025), the State Cabinet approved the constitution of a seven-member Job Reservation Commission to be headed by a retired IAS officer of the Nagaland cadre. An official statement said the committee would be composed of three officers and a member each from the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO), Central Nagaland Tribes Council (CNTC), and Tenyimi Union Nagaland (TUN). The Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CoRRP) of the five tribes — Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma, and Sumi — criticised the outcome of the Cabinet meeting on the backward tribe reservation issue as a repetition of the meeting on June 12. Ignored core demands 'It (Cabinet) chose to ignore our core demands and rather went ahead with the composition of the reservation review commission, which includes civil society organisations in the form of the CNTC, ENPO, and TUN,' a CoRRP statement issued by its convenor Tesinlo Semy and member-secretary G. K. Zhimomi said. 'The partisan attitude of the government spokesperson in throwing up wild imaginary figures on government employment, as well as linking the reservation review commission's outcome with the next census, is an insult to our movement,' the duo said. They said the apex bodies of the five tribes would meet soon to decide the next course of action. Citing official data, government spokesperson and minister K.G. Kenye said after the Cabinet meeting: 'Five non-backward tribes currently hold 64% of the government jobs, while the 10 backward tribes hold 34%.' He said the decision to constitute the job quota review commission, which would be given six months to submit its report, was intended to address this imbalance. He added that the implementation of the reforms may coincide with the caste-based census scheduled by the Centre in January 2026. Panel lacks neutrality Insisting that the composition of the approved commission lacks neutrality, the CoRRP sought an independent commission after framing the terms of reference to review the decades-old reservation policy. The CoRRP said the reservation policy, introduced in 1977, no longer reflects the current socio-economic and educational realities of the Naga tribes in the State. Initially, 25% of the non-technical and non-gazetted posts were reserved for seven tribes for 10 years. These tribes were designated backward based on educational and economic disadvantages, apart from limited representation in the State services. The reservation was increased to 37% later, 25% for seven backward tribes inhabiting Eastern Nagaland, and 12% for the remaining backward tribes elsewhere in the State.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Nagaland group announces stir against job quota for backward tribes
An organisation of five 'advanced' tribes in Nagaland has announced a movement against the State government's failure to respond to its 30-day deadline to review its job reservation policy for backward tribes. On April 26, the Five Tribes Committee Review of Reservation Policy served the ultimatum to the Neiphiu Rio-led government, demanding immediate revision of the job quota for the State's backward tribes. The deadline expires on May 25. The five tribes are Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma, and Sumi. The committee represents their respective apex bodies — the Angami Public Organisation, Ao Senden, Lotha Hoho, Rengma Hoho, and Sumi Hoho. After a consultative meeting with these five apex bodies and other community-based organisations at Chumoukedima on Saturday (May 24, 2025), the committee decided to protest the government's silence on the matter peacefully and in phases. 'Our core demand is to either scrap the reservation policy altogether or allocate the remaining unreserved quota to the five tribes,' the committee's secretary, G.K. Zhimomi, said. He said the committee was not against any tribe benefiting from the reservation policy. 'A review of this 48-year-old policy is long overdue because of the vastly different scenario now,' he added. Mr. Zhimomi said the government failed to review the policy in 1987 and issued an order in 1989, stating that the reservation would continue until further notice. The committee's 30-day ultimatum was a follow-up of the memorandum it submitted to the State government on September 20, 2024, requesting a review of the job quota policy. Meanwhile, the student bodies of three communities recognised as Backward Tribes (BTs) have opposed the five-tribe committee's demand, insisting that diluting the current policy would affect the marginalised communities. These bodies are the Chakhesang Students' Union, Zeliang Students' Union, and Pochury Students' Union. The three unions said the reservation policy 'has been a cornerstone for addressing socio-economic inequalities' faced by the BTs, and diluting or scrapping it would deprive the beneficiary communities of job opportunities. In August 2024, Chief Minister Rio told the 60-member Nagaland Assembly that the reservation for the BTs began in 1977 and 37% of the non-technical and non-gazetted jobs are currently reserved for them. The quota is divided into 25% for seven Eastern Nagaland BTs and 12% for four other BTs.
