Kohima: Nagaland has launched a high-level manpower audit to fix staffing issues across all state departments. A government-formed Working Group on Comprehensive Manpower Rationalisation must review sanctioned posts and cut redundancies within three months. This move follows an RTI response showing the state relies on 40 Nagaland Civil Service (NCS) officers to hold additional charges. The cadre review process, started in 2021, remains unfinished.
The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms reports 296 filled positions out of 308 sanctioned NCS posts. Twelve vacancies persist. Despite creating new districts in 1973, 1997, 2003, 2022, and 2024, the state has not revised cadre strength to match this growth. Mon district currently holds 19 officers, while Meluri and Tseminyu have only five each.
Staffing adjustments continue. On March 31, 2026, the state transferred 74 officers. Only six of these moves filled previously vacant regular positions. The department stated, "there is no prescribed duration for holding additional charge, stating that such arrangements are made based on administrative convenience." Officials confirm no records exist regarding sanctioned NCS strength from the statehood year of 1963.
The police service also faces deployment gaps. The Nagaland Police Service (NPS) counts 241 officers across police units and battalions. Police Headquarters holds the most staff with 16 officers, while Shamator district has only one. These figures exclude officers on special deputation to the Governor or the Village Guards. The audit now seeks to balance fiscal reality with these persistent administrative imbalances.
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