The State Cabinet has traced the ongoing agitation by sections of government employees to what it termed a “bureaucratic procedural lapse” arising from the March 10 advertisement for IAS induction that made entry through the Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) a qualifying condition.
The Cabinet’s deliberation on October 16 concluded that the controversial clause in the advertisement was inconsistent with long-standing practices and national service rules governing IAS appointments. The advertisement has since been withdrawn and replaced with a corrected version issued on March 27.
Briefing media persons at his official residence after the meeting, Government Spokesperson K.G. Kenye said the lapse occurred because the file relating to the advertisement had not reached the Chief Minister, who is also in charge of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR), and was not placed before the Cabinet prior to its release.
He clarified that the Cabinet viewed the incident as a “bureaucratic procedural lapse” rather than a deliberate action, and said the government has since rectified the error. “The bureaucracy fell short of procedural duties. The Chief Minister was not made aware before the circular was issued,” he stated.
Kenye explained that IAS induction under the 33 percent state quota has, over the decades, been drawn from two segments — the Nagaland Civil Service (NCS) and officers from other state services. The current dispute, he said, arose from the quota allotted to the latter.
He noted that as per the IAS (Recruitment) Rules of 1954, along with amendments and DOPT guidelines issued in 1997, entry into service through NPSC is not the determining criterion for IAS induction. “The entry point has never been the sole basis for consideration. What counts is integrity, performance, Annual Performance Reports (APRs), and years of substantive service,” Kenye stressed.
According to procedure, officers meeting the prescribed conditions are first scrutinized by the State Screening Committee, whose recommendations are then forwarded to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for final vetting. Kenye said the system was based on merit and service record, not the mode of initial recruitment.
He further revealed that past IAS inductees from Nagaland included several officers who were not NPSC entrants, citing examples such as late R. Kevichüsa and T. Imchen (both Agriculture engineers), Dr. Chuba Temjen, Imkongliba (inducted in 1994), Principal Secretary Y. Kikheto Sema (in 2010), Dr. Zasikuolie Chüsi (in 2017–18), and the most recent being Kevisa Kense, against whose vacancy the present dispute has arisen.
Kenye said that although the vacancy is yet to be filled, the State Screening Committee and the Department of Personnel & Training (DOPT) had recommended five names to the UPSC, shortlisted from 11 applicants, before the September 30 deadline.
On whether disciplinary measures would follow, he clarified that the Cabinet has decided against punitive action, noting that the lapse occurred at the procedural level. “Had the matter reached the top, this anomaly could have been detected earlier,” he remarked.
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Regarding the ongoing agitation by CANSSEA, NSSA, and NIDA, Kenye said the Cabinet had also discussed the service conduct implications of such protests. However, he maintained that the government would deal with the matter with leniency, emphasizing the need for dialogue. “We are a people’s government. Our approach will be conciliatory,” he said.
He added that the protesting associations were likely aware of the relevant service rules but might have misunderstood certain aspects of the induction process. “The IAS rules of 1954 and 1997, as well as DOPT guidelines, do not make competitive NPSC entry a requirement. They emphasize merit, performance, and integrity,” Kenye reiterated, adding that this practice is uniform across the country.
To resolve the issue, the Cabinet has constituted a sub-committee led by Deputy Chief Minister for Planning, T.R. Zeliang, and Deputy Chief Minister for Home, Y. Patton, with Minister for Rural Development Metsubo Jamir, Minister and Government Spokesperson K.G. Kenye, and the Chief Secretary as members.
The sub-committee is expected to engage with the agitating organizations on October 20 to seek a peaceful resolution. “The government functions as a family, and we believe issues like this are best settled through understanding and consultation,” Kenye concluded.
The Joint Coordination Committee of CANSSEA, FONSESA, NIDA, NSSA and N&ASA however in a press statement issued on October 16 highlighted that the committee had deliberated on the issue of the ongoing 3 days Pen-down Strike in relation to the protest against the subversion of meritocracy in the non-SCS lAS induction process, and having considered the facts and prevailing circumstances, have decided to extend the Pen-down Strike from the October 17 till further instructions.
