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Kohima, Oct 20 (IANS) The Five Tribes Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CORRP), which has been agitating in Nagaland for several months demanding a review of the state’s job reservation policy, on Monday withdrew its call for boycott of all state government functions after the state cabinet decided to accept their key demands.
5 Tribes CORRP held a consultative meeting with all the 5 apex tribal bodies including their frontal units at Sendenyu Biodiversity Education Center in Tseminyu district on Monday.
Member Secretary GK Jhimomi and Convener Tesinlo Semi said in a joint statement that the meeting welcomed and appreciated the decision of the Nagaland State Cabinet to change the nomenclature of the Commission for review of reservations from the Job Reservation Commission as per their representation submitted to the government on September 24 and to expand the terms of reference beyond job employment.
“The 5 tribes CORRP and the five apex tribal bodies are ready to extend full cooperation to the Commission as and when sought. With the state cabinet honoring our demands, the non-participation by the 5 apex tribal bodies in all state government functions and activities with effect from August 15, 2025, has been withdrawn,” the statement said on Monday night.
5 Tribes CORRP had last month announced the launch of an indefinite strike in eight districts from October 1 to press for their demand, but it was later suspended due to the festival season.
The eight districts include Kohima, Dimapur, Mokokchung, Wokha, Newland, Chumaukedima, Tseminyu and Zunheboto.
A senior government official had earlier said that a Job Reservation Commission was constituted on September 22 to examine the reservation policy in government employment and submit a report and make recommendations for an appropriate policy governing equal representation of various tribes of the state in government employment.
Retired IAS officer R. Ramakrishnan will be the chairman of the five-member commission.
Five-tribe CORRP representing Ao, Angami, Lotha, Rengma and Sumi tribes have given an ultimatum to the state government to resolve their demands.
CORRP has been holding various agitations and protests since April this year and declared non-cooperation with the government and also boycotted the Independence Day celebrations on 15 August.
The Naga body claimed that the job reservation policy, which has been in place for the last 48 years (since 1977), no longer reflects the current socio-economic and educational realities of various communities in Nagaland.
In support of their demand, Naga bodies organized two phases of agitation – first on 29 May in the form of protest rallies in several district headquarters and in the second phase on 9 July, thousands of people from five Naga tribes, wearing traditional attire, protested outside the Civil Secretariat in Kohima.
Primarily, 25 per cent reservation was allotted for 10 years on non-technical and non-gazetted posts for seven tribes.
These tribes were designated as ‘backward’ on the basis of educational and economic disadvantages and limited representation in state services.
Over the years, reservation has increased to 37 per cent, including 25 per cent for the seven Eastern Nagaland backward tribes and 12 per cent for the four other backward tribes of the state.
–IANS
SC/PGH