PSU opposes review of backward tribe reservation policy in Nagaland

DIMAPUR — The Pochury Students’ Union (PSU) has expressed opposition to the proposed review and restructuring of the Backward Tribe (BT) reservation policy in Nagaland, terming it as unjust and potentially divisive.

In a press statement issued on Tuesday, the union maintained that any dilution or alteration of the current policy would further marginalise communities like the Pochury, which already face systemic neglect and underrepresentation in governance and development sectors.

“The initial reservation in Nagaland was implemented in 1977, limited to seven backward tribes, with 25% quota for non-technical and non-gazetted posts. Over time, the quota was increased to 37%—25% for eastern Naga tribes and 12% for the other four backward tribes, including the Pochury Tribe, which was allocated 2%,” it stated.

The union pointed out that the Pochury community was officially recognised as a distinct tribe in 1990 and included in the BT category in 1994.

While welcoming this recognition, the PSU stated that subsequent policy changes have had an adverse effect on their representation. Specifically, the revision of the 45-Point and 27-Point rosters to the 125-Point and 100-Point rosters in 2011 resulted in the Pochury tribe being placed at the bottom of the list among all backward tribes and sub-tribes, leading to a “sense of marginalisation and inequity,” it stated.

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According to data cited by the union, the total number of Pochury government employees stands at 1,676. Of this, 780 are Village Guards (VGs) working on an honorarium basis, receiving INR 3,000 per month.

Excluding the VGs, the number of regular employees from the Pochury community is just 896—amounting to only 0.78% of the state’s total government workforce.

This, the PSU pointed out, is disproportionate to the Pochury’s population share of 1.11% in Nagaland, as per the 2011 Census.

The union maintained that such data “clearly underlines the continuing need for reservation as a tool to address historical and systemic disadvantages,” including inadequate access to education, infrastructure, and employment.

The PSU also rejected recent proposals to introduce a 'creamy layer' system and 'pocket-wise reservation' within the state, calling them “absurd and irrelevant” in the context of Naga society.

It argued that social and educational backwardness—not just economic criteria—must remain the key factors for reservation. It cautioned that any attempt to sub-classify within the tribes could lead to “further disunity and fragmentation.”

It urged the government to strengthen the existing reservation framework rather than weaken it.