Committee of five tribal students wants streamlining of Nagaland Reservation Policy

DIMAPUR, AUGUST 22 (MExN): The Core Committee on Rationalisation of Reservation Policy (CCoRoRP), a Committee formed by a conglomerate of five tribal students’ bodies has called for a review/streamlining of the Nagaland Reservation Policy (NRP) for backwards tribes of Nagaland. 


In a representation addressed to the chairperson, Review Committee on Job Reservation Police in the State of Nagaland, the Committee under the umbrella of All Sumi Students’ Union, Angami Students’ Union, Ao Students’ Conference, Lotha Students’ Union and Rengma Students’ Union said the NRP introduced in 1977 is one of the most contentious issues facing the Naga society today. 


“What was introduced as a good law aimed at alleviating the ‘educated and economically backward section of the Naga society’ has now been implemented for more than four decades with little or no modifications by the Nagaland government,” it pointed out. 


While the NRP had been enacted with good intentions and has benefitted the target section in the Naga society, the Committee however lamented that even after more than forty years; the NRP has become political in nature, very sensitive and at the most entailing huge ramifications in its wake. 


The Committee felt that forty years of reservation policy ought to have had some impact on the targeted society and their ‘educational and economic’ conditions by now. If not, the reservation policy is faulty and needs to be reviewed totally, it added. 


Pointing out that a review of the “Banuo Committee Report - 2008”, the “Kevichusa Committee Report – 2010” and the “Temjen Toy Committee Report – 2010” indicates that the reservation policy is all about providing government jobs to the Naga educated people, the Committee said the State Government has done its part in reviewing the reservation policy time to time. 


However, the select committee reports have not been passed by the state Cabinet and therefore a status quo is being maintained till date. A status quo on such an issue like the NRP puts the lives and careers of thousands of Naga educated youths at stake, it stated. The Committee therefore said it is time to redefine the reservation quota based on the situational realities of our state “so that in the shortest course of time, our people – irrespective of tribes, forward or backward tribe people – can sit together and compete and be selected, where merit and calibre is the one and only barometer for selection to a job.”


In this connection, the Committee has suggested a charter of representation to the state government for implementation.
In the first, it called for implementation of ‘Creamy layer criteria’ for determining the creamy layers as per the rule under National Commission for Backward Class (NCBC).


It said socio- economic and educational backwardness of the people should be identified/ measured based on the region, pocket/ area and accordingly the reservation policy should be implemented including the creamy layer criteria.  


Calling for equal criteria on educational qualification for all jobs, the Committee urged for relaxation of educational qualification for employment will only yield mediocrity. Even if a job is reserved, there should be no compromise on the educational qualification, it has suggested.


Pointing out that ‘reservation upon reservation’ is creating frustration and distrust amongst the Naga students, the Committee has suggested that candidate from a backward category should be given a choice to compete either from the backward quota or general. Irrespective of the marks secured, the candidate should be considered only in the opted category. 


It also stated that a cut off mark to qualify exams should be set for backward tribe category to avoid qualifying only by virtue of being single candidate from a particular tribe under a given roster. Similarly, current roster system of reserved quotas especially in technical posts should be comprehensively reviewed.


Finally, the Committee suggested for a time framed review of reservation policy.