NSF demands inclusion of Nagaland dialect in recruitment of Gramin Dak Sevaks

DIMAPUR — The Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) has urged the Department of Postal Services to consider amending the draft model notification in connection with the recruitment of Gramin Dak Sevaks for Branch Post Offices (BPOs) in Nagaland, by including “proficiency in any of the local dialects of Nagaland” along with Hindi and English languages, as an additional qualification.

While acknowledging the initiative of the Department of Posts, Ministry of Communications, to open 70 new BPOs in Nagaland, for which it was learned that a total of 173 Gramin Dak Sevaks, Branch Postmasters (BPM), and Assistant Branch Postmasters (ABPMs) would be recruited, the NSF expressed concern about the language criteria for filling the posts.

“The draft model notification issued by the Department of Posts stipulates Hindi or English as the local language for the engagement of Gramin Dak Sevaks in Nagaland. While these languages are important, this criteria effectively limits the opportunities for local youths, as they must compete with candidates from outside the state, who, due to differing marking patterns, often have better academic proficiency in Hindi and English,” read the press release.

Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) is a position in the Indian Postal Department, who are responsible for delivering mail, manage post office operations and provide other postal services in rural areas. The student body went on to claim that the criteria will also limit the effectiveness of the services in the remote areas, as “candidates from outside Nagaland face difficulties in communicating with the local population due to their limited knowledge of the local tribal dialects/languages” besides the tendency of employees ‘not to join the service or opt for transfer to their home states’.

It claimed that during 2020-21 recruitment for the department, only 29 out of 55 selected candidates joined the service, while many either resigned or opted for a transfer, thus undermining the vital services including banking that BPOs aim to provide to the people in remote villages.

Citing these reasons, the NSF said that amending the language criteria in the recruitment process of Gramin Dak Sevaks will help serve the rural population better.

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