The Nagaland government has constituted a Reservation Review Commission to reassess how various tribes in the state are represented in public employment and higher education. The initiative marks one of the most comprehensive efforts in recent years to revisit the long-standing rules on quotas and criteria for determining backwardness. According to the official notification issued on November 12, the commission will be chaired by retired IAS officer R Ramakrishnan. Senior officials from the Home, Law and Justice, Higher and Technical Education, and Personnel and Administrative Reforms departments will serve as members. Logistical support will be provided by the Home Department, while the Finance Department will handle the budgetary requirements for the panel.
The commission has been granted extensive powers, including access to all relevant government records and the authority to summon officials or departments for briefings as necessary to fulfill its mandate. Its responsibilities include reviewing constitutional and legal provisions on reservations across India, scrutinising economic and educational indicators used for eligibility, and assessing the impact of Nagaland’s current policies on employment and admissions to professional and technical courses. A crucial part of the panel’s work involves consulting with tribal bodies, student organisations, employees’ associations, and other stakeholders to ensure broad-based input on equitable representation. The commission is expected to recommend criteria for identifying tribes eligible for reservation, propose the overall percentage of quotas and their internal distribution, and consider the duration for which benefits should apply.
Additionally, the commission will examine implementation gaps and suggest technology-driven solutions to make the system more robust, error-free, and transparent. The panel has been tasked to submit its report within six months, with remuneration for the chairperson to be notified separately. The order, issued with Cabinet approval on October 21, 2025, supersedes an earlier notification from September 22, 2025, signaling the state government’s renewed commitment to strengthening equitable access to opportunities for all communities in Nagaland..
