SATURDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2025
MLA Dr. Rhutso calls for recognition of tribal languages to boost employment opportunities
Dr. Tseilhoutuo Rhutso, on Tuesday underscored the need to recognise Nagaland’s tribal languages to create better employment opportunities for Naga youth in Postal department.
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- KOHIMA — Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Dr. Tseilhoutuo Rhutso, on Tuesday underscored the need to recognise Nagaland’s tribal languages to create better employment opportunities for Naga youth in Postal department.
- Initiating a discussion during zero hour on the second day of the sixth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA), he pointed out that many Nagas were losing job opportunities in the Postal department due to absence of a recognised common language in the state.
- The legislator explained that recruitment for the department is conducted online on an all-India basis with a minimum qualification of Class 10, wherein candidates must submit their details through the website and selection is based purely on Class 10 mark sheets—without any exams or interviews.
- He emphasised that Nagas were being deprived of jobs in the lowest-grade postal service known as Gramin Dak Sevak (GDS) because the state does not have a recognised common language. He noted that while Nagaland has 17 recognised tribal languages, none have been designated as the state’s common language, unlike other northeastern states such as Manipur (Meitei), Assam (Assamese), Meghalaya (Khasi and Garo), Tripura (Bengali) and Mizoram (Mizo).
- Dr. Rhutso further highlighted that Arunachal Pradesh faces a similar issue as it has 23 tribal languages without a recognised common language. However, the Arunachal Pradesh government recently addressed this by issuing a gazette notification recognising all 23 tribal languages for recruitment purposes. This was followed by a directive from the Ministry of Communications, ensuring that only indigenous candidates of Arunachal Pradesh could apply for GDS vacancies in the state.
- He pointed out that Nagaland has 365 branch post offices (BPOs) with 1,047 sanctioned GDS posts. However, due to the current recruitment process, more than 90% of those vacancies are being filled by non-indigenous candidates. Between January 2023 and December 2024, out of 361 GDS vacancies advertised, 90% were occupied by non-local candidates, he alleged.
- He urged the Nagaland government to adopt the Arunachal model and pass a resolution recognising tribal languages for recruitment by ensuring that GDS vacancies are reserved for indigenous Nagas. He also suggested that deputy commissioners should serve as certifying authorities for proficiency in local languages in their respective districts.
- Supporting the motion, NPF MLA, Achumbemo Kikon, in his supplementary statement, noted that the advertised GDS posts offer a salary of INR 10,000 scale pay—comparable to a lower divisional clerk (LDA) in state government service.
- However, he pointed out that the lack of recognition for local languages in Nagaland was a significant barrier to employment. He criticised the state's conservative marking system in matriculation, which disadvantages local candidates in merit-based recruitment.
- Kikon further observed that many non-local appointees were transfer out after securing the post, leading to frequent re-advertisements. He stressed the need for a language policy aligned with the New Education Policy’s third-language provision to ensure that those appointed to GDS posts are proficient in the local language.
- Nagaland Chief Minister, Dr. Neiphiu Rio, has appreciated Dr. Rhutso for raising the issue and acknowledged the employment challenges faced by Naga youth due to the absence of a recognised third language. He requested the Speaker to allocate time in the ongoing session to discuss and pass a resolution addressing the matter.
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