MASU backs KSU on reservation policy reform

Mon Area Students’ Union (MASU) has extended support to the Konyak Students’ Union (KSU) in its demand for an urgent review of the state’s job reservation policy, based on population ratio and socio-economic realities.
In a press release, MASU president Chemkhah Konyak S. and general secretary W.N. Samuel said the present policy fails to reflect the actual needs and developmental challenges of the Konyak community—the largest recognised tribe in Nagaland, comprising 12.65% of the tribal population as per the 2011 Census. The union stated that Mon district, predominantly inhabited by the Konyak tribe, continues to suffer from deep-rooted socio-economic deprivation. MASU highlighted issues such as the community’s low literacy rate (56.99% as per the 2021 Census), the highest number of unemployed educated youth, poor infrastructure, and inadequate access to basic services. Pointing out that the job reservation system—formulated in 1977 and revised in 1979, 2008, and 2011—has not kept up with present-day realities, MASU called for a population-based system to ensure fair representation for backward tribes.
The union urged the state government to immediately restructure the policy in line with population data and development indicators, stressing that the demand is rooted in justice and equity. Emphasising that the socio-political neglect of the Konyak tribe must no longer be overlooked under an outdated and imbalanced policy structure, MASU appealed to all right-thinking citizens, civil society organisations, media, and student bodies to support the just and long-overdue demand.