Reservation policy in Nagaland came under discussion during the ongoing seventh session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), with MLA Dr Tseilhoutuo Rhutso urging reforms and Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio responding on behalf of the government.
Speaking during Zero Hour, Dr Rhutso recommended that Nagaland “stop using the term, Advanced Tribes (AT) and Backward Tribes (BT).” Instead, he proposed the use of “General Category (GC) and Reservation Category (RC),” with government-defined criteria based on economic and social status rather than tribe. He raised concerns that, even after 48 years of implementation, the benefits of the state’s Reservation Policy have disproportionately gone to advanced and urban elite groups—the so-called “creamy layer”— leaving “many underprivileged and voiceless individuals within both ATs and BTs” without access to opportunities for social advancement. “This undermines the very objective of the policy,” he remarked.
Calling for reforms, Dr Rhutso suggested introducing two broad categories, GC for the well-off sections of ATs and the creamy layer of BTs, and RC for the underprivileged sections of both ATs and BTs, with equal opportunities for each. He argued that applicants should be given the option to choose between the two, while RC applicants may be required to undergo stricter scrutiny to ensure eligibility. He further emphasized that NSSB and NPSC results should be declared strictly on merit, but distributed equally between the two categories. At the same time, he proposed sub-reservations within ATs and BTs to ensure fairer access, and recommended that backlog vacancies be reallocated to the next tribe in line if unfilled, so as to prevent unnecessary delays and overage issues for deserving candidates.
The MLA also suggested that each individual be allowed to avail the reservation quota only once in their lifetime, and that candidates who had already benefitted from the RC quota for professional admissions such as JEE, NEET, or higher studies should not be eligible to claim further reservation benefits for professional services through NPSC or NSSB. According to him, these measures would help correct imbalances, prevent misuse of the system, and deliver justice to genuinely disadvantaged sections while also protecting meritocracy.
Responding to the discussion, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio acknowledged the sensitivity of the issue, stating that it is “of much necessity to deliberate on the issue and bring maximum justice to meritocracy and bring the weaker section at a level playing field at the same time.” He further informed the House that a committee has already been constituted by the state government, which is “very much receptive to any issues that are brought by the people.”