DIMAPUR, AUGUST 19 (MExN): The Five Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CoRRP) on Tuesday expressed disappointment over the clarification issued by the Nagaland chief secretary regarding the composition of the proposed Reservation Review Commission.
In a press release, the committee said the clarification that civil society organisations (CSOs) should nominate “credible and qualified persons” instead of office bearers to the commission was unacceptable.
“If this is the outcome of the state cabinet meeting held yesterday, it amounts to a direct insult to the collective intelligence of the five tribes,” the statement said, adding that their demand had been for the “total exclusion” of CSOs from the commission, whether office bearers or nominees.
Reiterating its August 9 resolution, the committee said it expected a positive response from the state government instead of “attempts to delay and deny” its legitimate demands. The committee further said its decision to abstain from all state government functions and meetings would continue until further orders.
The Chief Secretary, in a statement released through the DIPR, on August 18, had outlined the basis for the inclusion of CSO representatives, while clarifying that the “CSOs are to nominate a credible and qualified person from the communities they represent and not office bearers of the CSO.”
It added that the Commission was constituted to examine and submit a report on Reservation Policy in Government Employment where the ENPO, CNTC and TUN were each requested to nominate a credible and qualified person from the communities they represent, to be a member in the Commission.
It maintained that the decision was arrived at to ensure that the opinion of the respective communities, “Who are the most important stakeholders is suitably taken into account in the assessment and future applicability of the Reservation Policy in the State.”
The Chief Secretary had requested the CoRRP to “reconsider their position on the composition of the Job Reservation Commission to ensure that the Commission can submit a comprehensive and inclusive report.”
