Lok Sabha MP S Supongmeren Jamir has raised concerns in Parliament over alleged recruitment discrimination affecting eligible candidates from Nagaland, pointing to language requirements in Staff Selection Commission (SSC) examinations that he said have prevented local youth from securing posts in central broadcasting institutions despite severe staff shortages in the State.
Raising the matter under Rule 377 in the Lok Sabha, Jamir referred to an Employment News/Rozgar Samachar notification dated March 23, 2013, under which SSC advertised 15 posts of Programme Executive and Transmission Executive (Production Assistant) for Doordarshan and All India Radio in Nagaland.
He stated that no candidates from Nagaland qualified for the posts, attributing the outcome primarily to the Hindi Paper–II requirement, which he said created a major barrier for aspirants from the State.
Highlighting the operational impact, the MP presented vacancy data indicating acute manpower shortages in central public broadcasting institutions in Nagaland.
At Doordarshan Kendra, Kohima, 89 of 144 sanctioned posts remain vacant, with only 55 staff currently in position.
At All India Radio, Kohima, the Programme Section has 64 vacancies out of 79 sanctioned posts, with just 15 personnel in place. The Administration wing has 56 vacancies against 90 sanctioned posts, while the Engineering Section has 50 vacancies, with 41 staff in position against a sanctioned strength of 91.
Jamir stated that the large number of unfilled posts is affecting the functioning and outreach of public broadcasting services in Nagaland, which play a key role in information dissemination, cultural preservation, and regional representation.
He urged the concerned Ministry to consider a special recruitment drive for Nagaland with relaxation of the Hindi requirement and to conduct Paper I and II examinations in English to ensure equal opportunity for qualified local youth.
The MP further emphasised that recruitment policies must be inclusive and sensitive to the linguistic realities of the North Eastern region, stating that deserving candidates should not be denied opportunities due to language barriers unrelated to job performance.