Kohima: The Nagaland government has expressed its inability to proceed with any review of the state’s job reservation policy without accurate and updated population data.
The government emphasised that such a review must be grounded in the national census figures.
In response to queries about tribal bodies demanding a reassessment of the reservation system, Nagaland government spokesperson and minister K.G. Kenye stated, “We cannot proceed without a clear foundation. And that foundation is the census data.”
On April 27, representatives from the five major tribes of Nagaland—Angami, Ao, Lotha, Rengma, and Sumi—submitted a letter to the Chief Minister, issuing a 30-day ultimatum.
They demanded the state government take immediate action on their previous request, submitted in September 2024, for a review of the reservation policy for backward tribes.
However, speaking to reporters at the state civil secretariat on Wednesday, Kenye pointed out that the census process in Nagaland has been embroiled in legal disputes.
“Our census data has been contested,” he explained.
“Tribal organisations have taken the matter to the high court, and it has now reached the Supreme Court.”
He added that there is significant disagreement over which census year—2001 or 2011—should be considered valid.
“Now that we’ve passed 2021, which should serve as the reference point for the current decade, even the 2011 census data is under dispute,” Kenye said.
Given these ongoing disputes, the government has decided to hold off on any review of the job reservation policy until the new census data becomes available.
“Only once we have the updated data can we address these critical and sensitive issues,” he asserted.
Kenye also clarified that the authority to conduct a census lies with the Central government, not individual states.
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“We cannot undertake an independent census without the Centre’s approval,” he explained. “It is a nationwide exercise.”
The minister concluded by urging tribal leaders and citizens to understand that the situation is beyond the state’s control.
“We are waiting for the new census data, just like everyone else,” Kenye added.
