DIMAPUR, AUGUST 27 (MExN): The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) today stated that the reservation policy for ‘backward tribes’ enacted in 1977 by Nagaland state has been “hijacked and misdirected by leaders and officers with vested interests,” thus depriving a large section of the state from availing opportunities guaranteed to them.
A press statement from the ENSF said that despite repeated appeals to the state government to properly implement the policy, “instead of achieving the desired end, it is only creating more divide and regression.”
“It has only greatly succeeded in effectively instilling this famous 'Backward Tribes' tag in the minds of young and old which now sounds like a taboo or low class/second class citizens of the state especially for the younger generation, while on the other hand BT Reservation has been merely on paper,” the ENSF said.
It further opined that successive governments instead of trying to address this issue have only involved themselves in “manipulating this notification for all these years without visioning the consequences it will have on the Naga family as a whole.”
The ENSF lamented that reservation is only causing rift and more disparity in society. “It has only achieved in instilling demarcations, division and superior-inferior complexity in the young minds of today. Rightly so, the younger generation from the advanced tribes are starting to question against this ‘Reservation Policy’ as it has failed to fulfill its sole purpose/objectives/aims even after these long decades of its introduction, which was supposedly enough to have filled the gaps or disparity among the Naga families, had it been implemented and executed genuinely and honestly by the concerned authorities in power,” the ENSF said.
“It has also rightly occupied these young minds that the Eastern Nagas are demanding for more shares than we actually deserve and thus depriving them - the eligible ones of certain percentage. We feel bad about the reservation policy too,” the federation said.
It meanwhile said that the reason for the policy’s failure was that only less that 5 departments are “sincerely or forcefully” implementing it. “Why is it that which has been passed as legislation is mostly ignored by the government departments; and like refugees, the people of eastern areas have to resort to many other means and not receive the enacted legislation like equal citizens?” the ENSF questioned.
It meanwhile pointed out that political leaders and departmental heads have been practicing nepotism and making political appointments/direct appointments without an iota of respect and consideration for the policy.
“Owing to these, the eastern Nagas which make up about 40% or more of the state’s local population are roughly estimated or left with 8-9% approximately (excluding the village guards who enjoy a meager salary of Rs. 1500 per month) despite BT job reservation being said to have been implemented for the last 44 years,” the ENSF claimed.
The federation demanded that all departments strictly adhere to the government ‘Backward Tribes’ Reservation Policy notification without pretending ignorance. It meanwhile alleged that various departments are “simply conducting recruitment for the sake of accommodating Eastern Naga candidates in the 25% reservation category only, while denying even the merit candidates in the general category.”
“We will not shy away from addressing the issue with all seriousness until these malpractices and ignorance of the concerned officers and politicians are done away with,” the ENSF said, while asking the government to review all misappropriation of the reservation policy at the earliest.
