The Nagaland government has constituted a Job Reservation Commission to review and reform the state’s decades-old reservation policy. The move is aimed at ensuring fair opportunities and inclusive representation for all tribal communities of the state. The commission, officially set up on September 22, will be chaired by retired IAS officer R Ramakrishnan and will include senior officials from the Departments of Home, Law & Justice, Higher and Technical Education, and Personnel & Administrative Reforms. Together, the panel has been tasked with a comprehensive review of the state’s existing reservation framework and its overall impact on tribal representation in government jobs.
According to the government’s notification, the commission will examine the current policy “and its impact on representation of various categories in government employment.” The panel will also develop new criteria for identifying tribes eligible for reservation benefits and recommend the appropriate percentage of reserved positions. Importantly, the body will also deliberate on whether such reservations should be time-bound and need-based, depending on the level of socio-economic backwardness of a particular tribe. In what is expected to be a wide-ranging exercise, the commission has been directed to consult apex tribal bodies, student organisations, and employee associations. These consultations are considered vital for gathering ground-level perspectives and ensuring that all tribal groups feel included in the final recommendations.
The commission has also been empowered with strong investigative authority. It can access government records and summon officials for briefings, ensuring transparency in its work. Further, it has been asked to recommend the use of technology-driven monitoring systems to plug loopholes in implementation and create a “robust, error-free and fool-proof” reservation mechanism.
