ENSF UNMOVED BY SPECIAL RECRUITMENT DRIVE (AUGUST 19, 2011): Drawing attention to various statements in the local media by individuals, groups and organizations who ‘reproved’ the state government’s decision to conduct special recruitment drive for backward tribes for ten posts of EACs on the ground that the existing job reservation policy was sufficient, Eastern Nagaland Students Federation (ENSF) asserted it neither opposed nor favoured nor even asked for the special recruitment drive.
ENSF reiterated that the state government ‘strictly implement 25% job reservation in spirit’ which the less privileged tribes of Eastern Nagaland deserved. Further, ENSF expressed resentment against accusations in the media that the state government was ‘giving too much importance and privileges’ to the backward tribes through the special recruitment drive which also touched upon the plight of the Easter Nagas without understanding their plight and ‘chronic problems’ for the past thirty to forty years.
In this regard, ENSF claimed that in employment statistics, all the six tribes-Konyak, Chang, Yimchunger, Sangtam, Phom and Khiamniungans- don’t even measure up to the statistics to that of any of a single ‘advanced tribe. ENSF said the government’s employment census, as published in the media, had not taken the population ratio in percentage terms but rather focused on employment ratio in percentage terms and therefore was random, wrong and fictitious.
ESN said its statistical report on employment, based on village-wise employee data, indicated that the employment census of tribes of Eastern Nagaland was far below 10% of the total employment census of the state as on April 2011. ENSF said its report clearly indicated the ‘real status of deprivation and suppression’ of the six tribes in government employment ‘despite the reservation policy’ implemented since 1977. ENSF said, the government’s employment ratio which neglected the population ratio was an anomalous study, depicting incorrect statistics, whereas the ground reality, based on village-wise employment census was different and therefore, rejected the government’s employment census.
It argued, that had the job reservation policy been sincerely and effectively implemented, then the employment census of all the six tribes could have been more than 30% to 35% of the total employees in Nagaland.
ESN said its statistical report on employment, based on village-wise employee data, indicated that the employment census of tribes of Eastern Nagaland was far below 10% of the total employment census of the state as on April 2011. ENSF said its report clearly indicated the ‘real status of deprivation and suppression’ of the six tribes in government employment ‘despite the reservation policy’ implemented since 1977. ENSF said, the government’s employment ratio which neglected the population ratio was an anomalous study, depicting incorrect statistics, whereas the ground reality, based on village-wise employment census was different and therefore, rejected the government’s employment census.
It argued, that had the job reservation policy been sincerely and effectively implemented, then the employment census of all the six tribes could have been more than 30% to 35% of the total employees in Nagaland.
Further, ENSF said the number of gazetted officers including Post Graduate Teachers was less than the number of some advanced tribes of the state. It opined that the six tribes would have been holding good positions in the secretariat and directorates, if reservation was effectively implemented, whereas presently it was almost nil despite three to four decades of job reservation policy.
ENSF also said even the special packages from the government of India for the Eastern people for many years, never reached them, resulting in ‘more backwardness’.
It said those who blamed Eastern Nagas through the media, for their plight, did not know the fact and genuine problems faced by the Eastern Nagas for the past forty to fifty years. It cautioned that such people or organizations would be ‘personally questioned and compelled to justify their statement/stand’ to the people of Eastern Nagaland. ENSF also expressed dismay over the press statement issued by the state chief secretary with regard to the special recruitment drive for 10 posts of EACs. It said the chief secretary ‘without analyzing the facts’ spoke as if the 10 EAC posts were for the six tribes when actually, the four less represented tribes were to be given one EAC post each.
It also asserted the special recruitment drive had nothing to do with the ENPO demand for a separate state, nor with the memorandum submitted to the government of India but directly related with non-implementation of reservation policy in all departments and continual denial of justice to the Eastern Nagas since the past three to four decades.
ENSF also said even the special packages from the government of India for the Eastern people for many years, never reached them, resulting in ‘more backwardness’.
It said those who blamed Eastern Nagas through the media, for their plight, did not know the fact and genuine problems faced by the Eastern Nagas for the past forty to fifty years. It cautioned that such people or organizations would be ‘personally questioned and compelled to justify their statement/stand’ to the people of Eastern Nagaland. ENSF also expressed dismay over the press statement issued by the state chief secretary with regard to the special recruitment drive for 10 posts of EACs. It said the chief secretary ‘without analyzing the facts’ spoke as if the 10 EAC posts were for the six tribes when actually, the four less represented tribes were to be given one EAC post each.
It also asserted the special recruitment drive had nothing to do with the ENPO demand for a separate state, nor with the memorandum submitted to the government of India but directly related with non-implementation of reservation policy in all departments and continual denial of justice to the Eastern Nagas since the past three to four decades.
ENSF cautioned that such issues should not be mixed or twisted to confuse the general public. It appealed to ‘high profile officials’, intellectuals and leaders of Naga society to ‘reason out things’ before disseminating ‘unwarranted, falsified and unrealistic statements’ to the public of Eastern Nagaland and Nagas in general.