Recent demands by the Konyak Union and the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union to decentralize General Duty police recruitment interviews have reopened an old but unresolved question in Nagaland: how equitably are opportunities and public services distributed across districts?
The immediate concern raised by the unions is practical and valid. Centralizing recruitment processes in Dimapur places a disproportionate financial and logistical burden on candidates from remote districts. Poor connectivity, limited accommodation, and high travel costs often force aspirants to either borrow money or drop out altogether. While recruitment standards must remain uniform, access to those processes should not depend on geography or economic capacity.
But the issue extends far beyond police interviews or competitive examinations such as those conducted by the NPSC. It points to a deeper structural imbalance in how development, institutions, and opportunities are concentrated in Nagaland.
Globally, urban centers tend to attract investment, infrastructure, and institutions, while peripheral regions struggle to keep pace. In Nagaland, however, the impact is magnified. With only a small proportion of land formally urbanized and a largely rural population, excessive centralization creates sharper inequalities than in larger states. Kohima, as the capital, and Dimapur, as the commercial hub, play indispensable roles in governance and the economy. The problem lies not in their growth, but in the absence of comparable institutional presence elsewhere.
This imbalance has quietly fueled migration. Young people move toward Kohima and Dimapur not only for jobs, but for education, healthcare, examinations, and administrative access. As districts lose their youth, urban centers face mounting pressure on housing, services, and employment, while rural areas are left with weakened social and economic foundations.
Addressing this does not require symbolic decentralization, but deliberate policy choices. Administrative processes, including recruitment and examinations, can be decentralized in a phased manner with proper oversight to maintain standards. Higher education institutions, specialized healthcare facilities, and skill development centers must be strengthened beyond the urban core. While basic electrification and mobile connectivity have improved significantly, access to quality hospitals and advanced educational opportunities remains uneven.
Economic diversification is equally important. Overdependence on government employment has limited local enterprise growth, leaving few viable options for youth outside cities. Encouraging district-level entrepreneurship and private investment can help retain talent closer to home.
Balanced development is not about diminishing Kohima or Dimapur. It is about ensuring that progress radiates outward, so that opportunity is not determined by proximity to a city. If the vision of a developed Nagaland is to be meaningful, it must be reflected in district-level access, not just urban growth. Small, practical shifts today can prevent deeper inequalities tomorrow.