Nagaland: Reservation Review Commission constituted to examine state policy

DIMAPUR — Nagaland government has constituted a Reservation Review Commission to examine and recommend changes to the state’s reservation policy in government employment and technical and professional courses in higher education.

According to a notification issued by the Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR) Department on Thursday, the commission will be chaired by R Ramakrishnan, IAS (Retd.), with the Additional Head of Department (AHoD) of Home Department/Home Commissioner, AHoD of Law and Justice, AHoD of Higher and Technical Education, and AHoD of P&AR serving as members. The AHoD of P&AR will also act as the member secretary.

The commission has been tasked with examining constitutional and statutory provisions governing reservations in government jobs and higher education, both at the central and state levels. It will also study the educational and economic parameters used to determine criteria for reservation and assess the impact of Nagaland’s existing policy on the representation of various categories.

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It has been directed to hold consultations with apex tribal bodies, student groups, employees’ associations, and other stakeholders to ensure equitable application of the reservation policy. The terms of reference also include evolving suitable criteria for determining which tribes may be considered for reservation, reviewing the percentage and internal distribution of quotas, and recommending the duration of such reservations.

The commission will further look into the implementation and monitoring mechanisms of the policy, identify gaps, and suggest improvements, including the use of technology to “make the mechanism robust, error free and fool proof.”

The body has been given six months to submit its report.