Exams in all district HQs, rotational composition of board: Amended NSSB Regulations

A signboard directs aspirants to their exam centres during the first Combined Staff Recruitment Exams 2022 conducted by the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) at an examination centre in Dimapur on November 11 and 12, 2022. The exams were held across 111 exam centres in 13 District Headquarters. (Morung File Photo)

A signboard directs aspirants to their exam centres during the first Combined Staff Recruitment Exams 2022 conducted by the Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) at an examination centre in Dimapur on November 11 and 12, 2022. The exams were held across 111 exam centres in 13 District Headquarters. (Morung File Photo)

Morung Express News
Dimapur | September 17

The Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) examinations will be conducted in all district headquarters while there will be rotational composition of the Board. 

These, among others, are the new provisions in the “Amendment of Rule 50 & 51 of the Nagaland Staff Selection Board Regulations– 2020” tabled by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio during recent monsoon session of the State Assembly on September 14. 

The Rule 50 gives the Governor with power to relax any of the provisions of the Regulations through the Department of Personnel & Administrative Reforms (DP&AR) while Rule 51 empowers the latter to issue instructions on all matters connected with the conduct of NSSB examinations.

In the Section 4 of the original 2020 Regulations, there were only two sub-sections dealing with composition of the Board – one Chairman and two members and the procedure in the event of office of the Chairman becoming vacant.

However, the amendment added 6 other sub-sections.

Among others, it provided that the Chairman and Member of the Board will be selected on rotation basis among the recognised tribe of Nagaland.

Further, the Board has been empowered to constitute the panel for interviews for recruitments.

It can also decide on the penalty to be imposed on candidates found indulging in malpractices or any other misconduct as well as defaulting Departments who fail to requisition posts to the Board or any other malpractice with the written consultation and approval of Government. 

In Section 15, the application fee for examination has also been enhanced from Rs 100 to Rs 200, while it is 300 for skill test. 
The notification for the Amendment under Rule 50 was first issued on June 27, 2023. 

Meanwhile under Rule 51, another amendment to the 2020 Regulations was notified on August 3, 2023.

Accordingly, a new sub-section was added in the Section 23 stating: “The Board shall conduct the examinations in all District headquarters.”

Again, a new sub-section under Section 24 provides that “There will be Qualifying cut off-mark of 30 % of the total marks for Skill Test and Technical Paper.” 

Under Section 14, new sub-sections directed the Departments to “assess the number of vacancies in the posts delineated in Regulation 3 (section) that may arise in a calendar year and requisition the same to the Board” and the latter may verify the vacancies and posts before advertisement.

“The Administrative Head of Department and the Head of Department of the Departments that fail to requisition the posts that are within the purview of the Board, shall be subject to disciplinary action on the basis of the Nagaland Discipline and Appeal Rules, 1967 but shall not be limited to this if criminal action is found,” it added.  
The Section 3 of the 2020 Regulations provided that these regulations will apply to direct recruitment for Group-C services/posts (pay level 3-7) under the Government of Nagaland at the Secretariat, Directorate and District except those listed in Schedule A dealing with the Departments that follow the queue system of recruitment.

The amendment stipulated that while queue system will be maintained by the Board, it will be discontinued for recruitment of Agricultural Field Assistant (AFA) under Agriculture Department and Fishery Demonstrator under Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Department.

Other queued recruitment such as Sericulture Field Assistant (SFA), Soil Conservatory Assistant/Soil Surveyor/Field Assistant, Veterinary Field Assistant (VFA) and Auxiliary Nursing Midwifery (ANM) shall ‘continue in the ratio of 50:50.’ 

In other words, the recruitment would be 50% from queue system and 50% through open competition till “such time all the candidates in the wait list is exhausted.” 

The candidates in the queue/waitlist will also be eligible for direct recruitment under the 50% open category provided they fulfil the requisite eligibility criteria and there will be no further addition of candidates to the queue system, it added. 

Meanwhile, the amendment also demarcated the “Secretary-cum-Controller of Examination” into two – Secretary and Controller of Examination and assigned their roles accordingly.  

It must be note here that the first of the Combined Staff Recruitment Examination (CSRE) 2022 under NSSB started across 110 exam centres in 13 districts of the State on November 11, 2022 with over 50000 students. 

After written examination, computer proficiency test and other skill tests, the final results were declared on July 9, 2023.  On August 31, appointment orders to Group-C posts in 45 departments were distributed to successful candidates in Kohima.