Kohima, Mar 4: Legislators of Nagaland on Tuesday lamented in the assembly that though the state has 17 tribal dialects, lack of a recognised common language is affecting job prospects of the local people.
Several neighbouring states of the northeastern region have such a mechanism, while the Nagaland government has notified English and Hindi as the only official languages for communication.
This has put the state’s indigenous candidates at a disadvantage, while people from other states are filling up vacancies in Nagaland, a legislator said.
Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, NPP MLA Dr Tseilhoutuo Rhutso stressed the need to have a common tribal language for Nagas to avail employment opportunities in the Indian Postal Service, especifically concerning the Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) posts.
He expressed concerns about the recruitment process in the Postal Service, claiming that the current system was disadvantageous to the indigenous youth of Nagaland due to the language barrier.
The recruitment for GDS positions is an all-India process, conducted online with no exam or interview while candidates are selected based on the merit of their class 10 marks, he said.
Despite having 17 tribal dialects, Nagaland’s lack of a recognised common language has put the state’s indigenous people in an unfavourable situation, the NPP leader said.
Other Northeast states like Manipur, Assam, and Meghalaya have a recognised common language but Nagaland does not, while the state cabinet has notified English and Hindi as the only official languages for communication in the state, he said.
As a result, he highlighted that the majority of vacancies for GDS positions in Nagaland are filled by non-local candidates, with indigenous Nagas struggling to compete due to lower marks in comparison to candidates from other parts of India.
The MLA emphasised that this situation needs to be addressed urgently to provide fair employment opportunities for Nagaland’s youth.
He further called on the state government to adopt the model of neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh, which had successfully sought a constitutional amendment to recognise all its tribal languages.
“This recognition has allowed only indigenous candidates from Arunachal Pradesh to apply for GDS positions in the state,” Rhutso said while also urging the Nagaland government to follow this model and ensure that vacancies in the state’s postal services are filled by local candidates.
He also proposed the establishment of a system in which the Deputy Commissioner would certify proficiency in local languages.
MLA Achumbemo Kikon also supported Rhutso’s concerns, noting that the lack of language recognition has resulted in many non-local candidates filling positions meant for Indigenous communities.
He added that the education system in Nagaland also poses challenges, as local marks are often scored lower than those from other states, putting Naga youths at a disadvantage in merit-based recruitment.
Speaker Sharingain Longkumer acknowledged the members for raising the issue, but said that while the Ministry in charge of the Postal Service typically replies to such matters, a formal discussion could be scheduled for a later date to address the issue.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio appreciated Rhutso for raising the issue and acknowledged the hardships faced by local youth in securing postal service jobs.
Requesting the Speaker to schedule a discussion on the matter within the ongoing session, Rio asserted adoption of a formal resolution to address the recruitment issue and ensure fair opportunities for indigenous Nagas. (PTI)
