Eastern Naga Students’ Federation to go on indefinite agitation from April 21

Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 18 (EMN): The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) on Monday announced that it would on an indefinite agitation from April 21 onwards over the failure of the state government to address its demands for inclusion of exempted departments and posts in the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) Regulation, 2020.

The federation announced its decision at a press conference at DUDA Guest House in Kohima.

Highlighting the chronology of the issue, ENSF president Chingmak Chang said that the government had constituted a Cabinet Sub-Committee in 2020 to discuss its charter demand and a report was subsequently submitted about a year later but the government ‘never discussed’ its demands.

The federation also submitted a disappointment letter to the government in 2021 before meeting the chief minister on November 27, 2021.

Chang said the state government’s reply given on March 14 following an ultimatum served by the federation was not satisfactory.

He also clarified that the ENSF is not blocking the functioning of NSSB but attempting to eradicate backdoor appointment and give chance to meritocracy. He added that the federation had called off its agitation in 2020 following the government’s assurance to consider its demand but the matter isn’t solved after more than two years.

He stated that the proposed agitation on April 21 is a continuation of the previous protest and its serious this time.

Meanwhile former ENSF President, Sepili Sangtam said that initially, the federation’s demand was on six points.

“After several rounds of discussion, not even one time this exempted department and post were discussed at the level of the working committee and after submitting its report on October 5, 2021 to the government, ENSF was not satisfied by the draft report prepared and we didn’t agree,” said Sangtam.

He further maintained that the demand is genuine and legitimate, saying that its about demanding for a very strong NSSB, and fighting for the future generation and the educated youths of the state.

The departments which are exempted from the purview of NSSB are: Home, Fire and Emergency services, Prisons, Nagaland Lokayukta, Nagaland Police Telecommunication Organisation (NPTO), Home Guards and Civil Defence, Excise and Forest Guard (Pay Level 5) in the Environment Forest and Climate Change department.

Group C posts are like Store Keeper/ Store Assistant, Laboratory Assistant, Tracer, Boilerman under Horticulture department, copyist under School Education, Draughtsman, Grainer (Map Production), Assistant Inspector under LMCP, Motor Vehicle Checker, Counter Attendant/Binder/Dark Room Assistant, Bench Assistant/Bench Clerk under Law & Justice Department, Asst. Road and

Enforcement Inspector, Demonstrators under I&C Department, Record Assistant, Court Keeper, Technical Assistant, Projector Operator and Labour Supervisor.