The Confederation of All Nagaland State Service Associations (CANSSEA, FONSESA, NSSA, NFASA, and NPDGEF) joined the one-day nationwide strike called by the All India State Government Employees Federation (AISGEF) on July 9 at the CANSSEA Office in Kohima.

Addressing media persons after the strike, CANSSEA general secretary, Yhungsenlo Kent said that the protest was in solidarity with AISGEF’s national movement. He said while the Federation has eleven key demands, Nagaland is focusing on five primary issues, which were submitted to the Chief Secretary today.

The five key of CANSSEA are as follows:

1. Scrap NPS, Restore Old Pension Scheme (OPS): Repeal the PRADA Act, return NPS funds to the state, and shift all employees to the EPS-95 Defined Benefit Pension System.
2. Implement 8th Pay Commission Benefits: Form a State Pay Commission and ensure salary revisions every five years.
3. Universal Health Insurance Coverage: Provide cashless treatment for all employees, pensioners, and contractual workers under a Govt-supported health scheme.
4. Upgrade CMHIS Hospitals: Improve facilities in all empanelled district hospitals under the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme.
5. Strict Adherence to IAS Recruitment Rules: Enforce the eligibility criteria as per the March 10, 2025, vacancy circular for Nagaland’s IAS cadre induction.

Kent mentioned that the Associations vowed to continue protests until their demands are met.

President of the Nagaland National Pension System Government Employees Forum (NNPSGEF), Avizo Neinu highlighted that employees recruited after January 1, 2010 fall under the National Pension System (NPS), while those hired earlier enjoy the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).

Under OPS, employees receive 50% of their last drawn salary as pension without any contribution, whereas NPS requires a 10% salary deduction with no guaranteed returns even after 35 years of service, he disclosed.

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Revealing alarming discrepancies, Neinu said 1,028 NPS employees have zero balance in their accounts, while over ₹200 crore of employee contributions remain unaccounted for in the NPS system as per treasuries and accounts department site. He urged the state Government to scrap NPS and restore OPS, aligning with AISGEF’s nationwide demand.

B Imtiwabang Jamir, Core Committee Member criticized the sudden withdrawal of the March 10, 2025, IAS vacancy circular, which initially reserved posts for Nagaland Civil Service (NCS) officers. He said after applications were submitted, the government abruptly cancelled the notification and re-advertised the posts without the NPSC recruitment clause, opening doors for non-competitive inductions.

“This undermines meritocracy. IAS is a policymaking post—how can we expect good governance if recruitment norms are diluted?” Jamir questioned, demanding the original circular be reinstated.

Dr. Ilang warned of ‘bleak future’ under NPS. He noted that eight states have already reverted to OPS, while Nagaland lags behind. With 3,500+ NPS subscribers, he warned of a financial crisis for employees if the scheme continues. He also criticized poor CMHIS implementation, citing hospitals denying cashless treatment despite the scheme’s benefits.