Eastern Naga Students’ Federation urges state to exclude Village Guards from employment census

DIMAPUR — The Eastern Naga Students’ Federation (ENSF) has appealed to Nagaland government to exclude Village Guards (VGs) from the ongoing state employment census, contending that their inclusion would distort employment statistics and adversely affect policy planning.

In a representation addressed to the chief secretary, the ENSF argued that categorising VGs as state government employees under the Personal Information Management System (PIMS) database was “unjust” and amounted to “an act of manipulation.”

The federation maintained that although VGs possess PIMS entries for administrative purposes, they are neither employed nor remunerated by the state government. “Village Guards are a unique and distinct entity with specific duties, which are primarily honorary and voluntary in nature, and are governed by separate rules and regulations,” the ENSF stated.

It further pointed out that the honorarium for Village Guards is funded by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and not by the state exchequer.

According to the ENSF, the purpose of the employment census is to assess the actual manpower burden on the state budget and to evaluate the scope of employment creation within the government. Including VGs, who are not on the payroll of the state government, would therefore result in “distorted and inflated statistical representation,” the letter stated.

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The federation cautioned that such distortion could jeopardise resource allocation, job policy framing, and public employment planning. “Therefore, the federation strongly urges your esteemed authority to take immediate corrective measures to omit VGs from the employment census database,” it stated.

The federation further called on the authorities to ensure that the census only accounts for employees who are directly salaried by the state government and that their employment status is accurately reflected in line with government notifications and policy guidelines.