Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Kohima: The Combined Technical Association of Nagaland (CTAN) wants the state government to axe a specific rule from its September 15 Office Memorandum. CTAN leaders Mesheno Kath and Kaqheto held a press conference at the Kohima Press Club to challenge the mandate requiring Manpower Rationalisation Committee and Cabinet approval before advertising job vacancies. The group demands that departments bypass this bottleneck and send openings directly to the Nagaland Public Service Commission and the Nagaland Staff Selection Board.
CTAN leaders clarified their stance on the policy change. "We are not against the whole OM. Maybe the government has some purpose. We are against some of the content," they stated. The association points to the current Combined Staff Recruitment Examination as a primary concern. More than 30,000 candidates are fighting for just 11 jobs while 43 other posts remain stuck in the review process. CTAN wants the board to delay the test until these extra vacancies get added to the pool.
The group also demanded that the state pull all Group C posts under the oversight of the Nagaland Staff Selection Board. This includes roles in the police, prisons, Nagaland Lokayukta, home guards, civil defense, fire services, excise, and forestry. CTAN officials fear the current rules will trigger a surge in temporary, fixed-pay, or contractual hiring instead of legitimate, permanent recruitment. They are also pressing the Chief Conservator of Forests to advertise 83 Forest Guard posts immediately, citing a previous promise to list them by October 2026. The association is also demanding a clear timeline for hiring Forester-I positions.
Mesheno Kath warned that the group might head back to the streets if the government ignores these demands. He advised young job seekers to look toward private business and entrepreneurship rather than waiting on state employment.
Updated at 23rd September 2026 at 10:00am
The association is also sounding the alarm on changes to interview scoring under the NSSB Regulations, 2020. Convener Mesheno Kath claims a rule capping interview marks between 40 and 80 percent was stripped from the latest government order. Without these guardrails, Kath warns officials could award arbitrary scores, including zero, leaving the door wide open for bias.
CTAN is pushing to scrap departmental exams altogether, citing a lack of confidence in their integrity. The group wants a single, neutral body to manage all Class III and Class IV hiring to ensure everyone plays by the same rules. They fear that without these reforms, local job seekers will be forced to pin their hopes entirely on national tests like those from the UPSC or SSC.
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