Kohima, October 17: The Nagaland government has restructured the committee responsible for reviewing the state’s reservation policy following appeals from several tribal bodies for a more impartial and administrative mechanism.

Government spokesperson and Minister K.G. Kenye on Thursday announced that the newly formed body, now titled the Commission for Review of Reservation, will comprise only senior government officials. The panel replaces the earlier committee, which had included tribal or block-wise representatives, a composition that had drawn objections from the Five-Tribe Committee on Review of Reservation Policy (CoRRP).

“The government has listened to all sides,” Kenye said, expressing hope that the restructured commission would bring “clarity, fairness, and finality” to the long-standing issue.

The Commission will be chaired by former Development Commissioner R. Ramakrishna, with ex-officio members from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (P&AR), the Law and Justice Department, and the Home Commissioner’s Office. The Commissioner and Secretary of P&AR will serve as the Member Secretary. The panel has been given six months from the date of appointment to complete its review and submit recommendations to the state government.

Kenye explained that the renaming of the body—from “Job Reservation Review Committee” to “Commission for Review of Reservation”—reflects the broader scope of the issue, which extends beyond employment quotas to encompass wider socio-economic aspects. He added that the review process would align with the ongoing National Census Exercise for better accuracy and representation.

The demand for a policy overhaul gained momentum after five major tribal apex bodies—Ao, Angami, Lotha, Rengma, and Sumi—submitted a joint memorandum through the 5-Tribes CoRRP, urging the government to replace tribal representatives with senior administrative officials for greater neutrality.