Nagaland's 47-year-old job reservation policy under fire

• 5 tribes’ committee issue 30-day ultimatum to chief minister
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• DIMAPUR — The ‘5 Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy’ on Saturday issued a 30-day ultimatum to the chief minister to act on its September 20, 2024, memorandum.
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• The ultimatum reminded that the committee, nominated by the five tribe apex hohos (Angami Public Organisation, Ao Senden, Lotha Hoho, Rengma Hoho and Sumi Hoho), had submitted a memorandum to the chief minister on September 20, 2024, seeking “immediate attention and necessary action.”
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• However, six months have passed with “no action or further communication” on the matter, the committee stated in its latest ultimatum.

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• The committee’s previous memorandum had demanded either the abolishment/scrapping of Nagaland's Job Reservation Policy for Backward Tribes or the reservation of the remaining unreserved quota exclusively for the five tribes, who comprise nearly 55% of Nagaland's Scheduled Tribe population.
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• This, according to the committee, was to ensure that all tribes receive fair opportunities and that the principles of meritocracy and equality are upheld.
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• “We are appalled that the Nagaland Job Reservation Policy for Backward Tribes has been in effect for the past 47 years, during which tribes under job reservation have benefitted significantly, even surpassing many advanced tribes.
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• “The job reservation policy was supposed to be reviewed every ten years, but in 1989, the government notified that the ‘existing policy will continue till further orders’, which is continuing till date,” the committee pointed out.
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• It went on to state that the recommendations of various committees for the review of reservation policy set up by the state government in the past have been kept in cold storage, except for some piecemeal implementation.
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• “Core issues like duration of reservation, internal reservation, discrimination arising out of multiple benefits and flexible options for BTs, creamy layers, discrepancies in entry age, backlog reserved posts, etc., have been left untouched despite several representations in the past by student bodies of (so-called) advanced tribes,” it added.
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• The committee cautioned that an indefinite reservation system, without proper review, poses a serious risk of economic imbalance and discrimination among the Scheduled Tribes in Nagaland, potentially leading to inequality and social unrest.
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• However, the government has, to date, failed to undertake a comprehensive review and reformation of the reservation policy, the committee stated.
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• “Since the state government has failed to address our demands as brought out in the earlier memorandum, the five non-backward tribes are left with no option but to serve this 30-day ultimatum as a final reminder,” it asserted.