The Phomching Area Students’ Union (PASU) has expressed its support to Konyak Students’ Union’s demand to the Government of Nagaland to review and reform Nagaland’s existing job reservation policy based on population ratio to ensure equitable justice.

In a press communique issued on October 1, the Union highlighted the marginalization of backward communities. It noted that the Konyak tribe, one of the historically disadvantaged communities and also one of the largest tribes in the state has a significantly large ratio of population. “As such, though the literacy rate is comparatively very low, the rate of educated unemployed is the highest in the state. This prevailing reality questions the accountability of the existing job reservation policy and its impact,” it stated.

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“The main objective of the reservation policy is to uplift the backward communities, and we have been witness to its impacts on the Naga society as a whole. However, the failure of the policy to address systematic disparities and to provide equitable opportunities has resulted in marginalizing several backward communities including the Konyak tribe,” PASU added.

Requesting the state government to take its plight into consideration, the PASU strongly urged for the  review and reformation of the existing job reservation policy “by reflecting on the demographic realities of the state to further promote social inclusion and to ensure fair and just distribution of opportunities”.