Kohima: The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), representing all major Nagaland government employees’ associations, has issued a public appeal amid an ongoing protest against the induction of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers under the Non-State Civil Service (Non-SCS) quota.
The JCC includes five service associations namely the Confederation of All Nagaland State Services Employees Association, the Federation of Nagaland State Engineers Service Association, the Nagaland In-Service Doctors’ Association, the Nagaland Secretariat Service Association, and the Nagaland Forest Service Association.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the JCC said it felt “duty bound” to explain the reasons behind the prolonged impasse and urged the public to understand and support its stand. The committee said the protest was aimed at safeguarding meritocracy, transparency and justice in public service recruitment.
The JCC acknowledged that the state government had admitted to procedural lapses in screening candidates for induction, despite existing regulations under the IAS (Appointment by Selection) Recruitment, 1954 and the IAS (Appointment by Selection) Regulations, 1997.
It also accused the government of overlooking an Office Memorandum issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) on 7 October 2020, which directed all ministries and departments to comply with a Supreme Court judgement requiring appointments and inductions to strictly follow constitutional and merit-based procedures.
“The ongoing movement is solely to uphold meritocracy and transparency in public service recruitment and, above all, for justice to prevail for the greater good of all,” the statement said, adding that the JCC had no ill intent against any individual or organisation.
The committee said its position was consistent with the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) and Nagaland Staff Selection Board (NSSB) Regulations of 2020, which were designed to promote fairness and equal opportunity.
Warning that “a wrong policy” ignoring established laws could harm the state and society, the JCC said such actions would undermine the purpose of recruiting young aspirants through transparent and competitive examinations.
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The body added that it was committed to protecting the interests of citizens and young talents, describing this as both a social and governmental responsibility.
While acknowledging that the protests might cause temporary inconvenience to the public, the JCC appealed for understanding and solidarity. “Our strife is for fair, just and equal opportunity for every person as established under the law,” it said.
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