Nagaland: JCC to continue pen-down strike, sets three-day window for dialogue

DIMAPUR — The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC), comprising CANSSEA, FONSESA, NIDA, NSSA and NF&ASA has announced that its ongoing pen-down strike will continue until its core demands are met, even as it offered a three-day window for dialogue with the state government.

In a statement, the JCC informed that a meeting was held on Thursday between the Chief Secretary, Administrative Heads of Departments, and members of the JCC and office bearers of the service associations. The meeting, it said, was convened on the advice of the state Cabinet to find a “workable dialogue” to address the JCC’s key demands—the withdrawal of the non-NPSC candidate from the IAS induction panel list and the restoration of the vacancy circular dated March 10, 2025.

The committee, however, asserted that its demands, which it described as upholding “meritocracy,” were “non-negotiable and non-bargainable.” It stated that any dialogue would be acceptable only if it facilitates the acceptance of these demands.

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The JCC further claimed that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), upon receiving representations from the committee, had communicated that the matter lies within the jurisdiction of the state government.

“The ball is now in the court of the state government, and any act of omission or commission rests solely upon the decisions of the state government,” the JCC stated, adding that the DoPT and UPSC “cannot be blamed anymore.”

“It is the state government which has to take the legal and morally right decision,” it added.

The committee reiterated that it would continue its pen-down strike until the demands are fulfilled but expressed appreciation for the government’s offer for dialogue “provided it facilitates the acceptance of our core demands.”

It also stated that a window of three working days — until November 3 — has been set aside for any dialogue towards resolving the issue.