Nagaland Cabinet approves inclusion of exempted departments under NSSB

Our Correspondent
Kohima, April 21 (EMN): State government on Thursday approved the inclusion of departments in the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) Regulation, 2020 which were exempted earlier.

‘The cabinet in principle has agreed to include all those departments which did not come under the purview of the NSSB 2020’, state government Spokesperson and Advisor IT, Science and Technology, NRE, Mmhonlümo Kikon said while addressing journalists after the cabinet meeting held at Chief Minister’s residence in Kohima on Thursday.

The cabinet sub-committee will meet with the Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) to work out the modalities in the days to come, he informed.

The ENSF called for indefinite agitation starting April 21 over the failure of the state government to include exempted departments and posts in the NSSB Regulation 2020.

However, in the light of the cabinet decision on the day of the protest, the government has appealed to ENSF to call off its agitation.

The departments, which were exempted from the purview of NSSB Regulation 2020, according to ENSF, were Home, Fire and Emergency services, Prisons, Nagaland Lokayukta, Nagaland Police Telecommunication Organisation (NPTO), Guards and Civil Defence, Excise and Forest Guard (Pay Level 5) in the Environment Forest and Climate Change.

The federation also provided the exempted posts lists of Group-C including Store Keeper/Store Assistant, Laboratory Assistant, Tracer, Boilerman under the 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 and  Justice Department; Asst. Road and Enforcement Inspector, Demonstrators under I&C Department; Record Assistant, Court Keeper, Technical Assistant, Projector Operator, and Labour Supervisor.

Protest to continue

Meanwhile, the ENSF issued a statement on Thursday evening informing that it would continue its protest as the state government had not yet intimated the federation ‘officially’ and that it learnt about the Cabinet’s decision only through ‘social media’.

It expressed gratitude to ENPO, ENWO, NSF and seven federating units of ENSF, ENSF advisors, volunteers, intellectuals and all right-thinking citizens for their support and co-operation in making the first day of the agitation a success.