Nagaland JCC welcomes IAS panel listrecall; demands policy timeline

The Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on IAS Induction- comprising CANSSEA, FONSESA, NIDA, NSSA and NF&ASA- has welcomed the state government’s decision to cancel the Panel List for IAS induction from the Non-SCS quota for the Select List of 2024, terming it a positive step towards upholding meritocracy.
In a press release, JCC said the cancellation reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring merit in “letter and spirit”, and expressed hope that meritocracy would remain the benchmark for induction into the highest administrative service of the country.
It reminded that the government had earlier stated that “all decisions on the matter would be examined so as to arrive at an informed decision on eligibility criteria for Non-SCS induction into IAS after taking into account the views of all stakeholders,” including the constituent associations of the JCC.
JCC placed two demands before the government– (i) a copy of the cancellation letter of the Panel List be provided to the JCC at the earliest and (ii) The government provide a tentative timeline within which a concrete policy decision on eligibility criteria for Non-SCS IAS induction would be taken, ensuring that merit at entry into service is acknowledged without conditions.
The committee informed that it has called off its peaceful agitation in good faith, following what it described as the government’s constructive step towards addressing its core demands.
However, it cautioned that failure to honour the commitment would compel the Joint Coordination Committee to resume its democratic protest, for which it said it should not be held responsible.
Expressing hope that the principle of meritocracy would not be limited to IAS induction alone, JCC urged the government to ensure that merit becomes the benchmark for all public service appointments henceforth.
JCC also expressed gratitude to the public for bearing the inconvenience during the protest, the state government, the Cabinet Sub-Committee, chief secretary, and all AHoDs and HoDs for their support to what it termed as the cause of meritocracy, transparency and accountability in governance.