The 75th Republic Day celebration in Kohima was held at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat Plaza today. The program began early in the morning with the unfurling of the National Flag in all government offices, institutions, and public and private buildings, followed by the review of the parade by the DGP, Nagaland.
In his address the Governor of Nagaland La Ganesan stated that the State has been making good progress in several sectors. These progress, according to the Governor, is an outcome of a people centric developmental policies of the Government and the enduring and resilience of the citizens.
“We strive for equitable socio-economic development for all parts of the State. However, due to historical and geographical factors, some parts of the State, especially Eastern Nagaland areas are still lagging behind the rest of the State in terms of infrastructure and socio-economic parameters. The State and the Central Government are seized of this issue, and both are firmly committed to suitably address them with the urgency it deserves,” stated Ganesan.
The Governor also highlighted the progress being made in various sectors in Nagaland. In particular, the development in road infrastructure was accentuated. “Over the years, we have taken giant strides in the area of building a reliable road infrastructure in our State. Over the past 2 to 3 years, under PMGSY, North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme, North East Road Sector Development Scheme, Inter State Connectivity.” Said the Governor. The upgradation and strengthening of more than 980 kilometres of road, and repair works on 240 kilometres of road across the State was highlighted. In addition, under the Scheme of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment since 2020-21, another 944 kilometres of stretches of roads have been taken up for construction and up gradation to further improve the road network in the State. “We are also actively pursuing for the construction of Foothills Road (Trans-Nagaland Highway). We have prepared a DPR for this Foothills Road with a length of 364 km, and at the estimated cost of Rs. 9,000 crores, and have submitted it to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for early sanction,” informed the Governor.
Nagaki City
While citing the various completed projects under the Kohima Smart City Project, the Governor also updated on the on-going projects under Kohima Smart City Mission which are: up-gradation of Kohima Local Ground, Construction of City Centre in the Old Assembly Secretariat Area, Battle Tank Project and Slum Redevelopment of Panchayats in 6 Wards.
“We are also in the process of developing a fully planned modern city, which will be the first of its kind in Nagaland, to be known as the ‘Nagaki City’ at Chathe valley, Chümoukedima District. The proposal for the new city, which is at an advanced stage has been taken up with the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for a favourable consideration and funding under the 15th Finance Commission,” announced the Governor.
Power sector
On Power sector, the Power Department is taking up development of two major Hydro Electric Projects, namely, 42 MW Lower Tizu HEP and 24 MW Zungki HEP where both has been submitted to the Asian Development Bank for external funding. Further, the 24 MW Tizu Valley HEP is also being proposed for funding under Externally Aided Projects.
Industries & Commerce
The Department of Industries & Commerce is setting up Modern Aggregation Centres at Longnak, Changtongya and Pfutsero, along with an Integrated Warehousing and Distribution Centre at Meluri, informed the Governor. This, according to the Governor, will greatly enhance the State’s logistical landscape for storage and movement of goods. “The Department is also establishing a ‘Unity Mall’ under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital investment at District Industries Centre Complex, 6th Mile, Sovima, Chümoukedima which is anticipated to yield multifaceted outcomes that will significantly contribute to the socio-economic progress of the region by providing a dedicated platform for the promotion and retail of the State’s “ODOPs”, GI products, and various handicraft items,” informed Ganesan.
Under Jal Jeevan Mission, the PHE Department has provided more than 3 lakh Functional Household Tap Connections in the State till date; and more than 64,000 more households are expected to be covered during the current financial year. The Food & Civil Supplies Department has uploaded the entire process of Supply Chain Management of PDS on-line, and has also achieved about 97 percent Aadhaar seeding of Ration Cards of NFSA beneficiaries.
DUDA and Higher Education
The Department of Under Developed Areas (DUDA) has successfully executed a number of iconic projects in Eastern Nagaland under UDAP and BAD. Further, under PM-DevINE programme, Livelihood Projects with an outlay of Rs 180 crore are in the process of being implemented in Eastern Nagaland which will give a further impetus to growth and development in the region. The construction of the Konyak Heritage Complex at Mon, a pioneering initiative to preserve and showcase to the entire world the rich and colourful culture and customs of the Konyak people is in good progress, informed the Governor.
The Department of Higher Education has successfully enabled 36 colleges out of 71 colleges in the State accredited by the NAAC; and the other colleges are also under process for assessment. As per NEP. 2020, Nagaland University has already implemented Four Year Undergraduate Programme from the academic session 2023-24 in all the colleges of the State. The proposal for up-gradation of three Diploma Institutes to Degree Engineering College has also been initiated under PMUSHA Scheme.
“We are pursuing with the Central Government for the establishment of an Indian Institute of Science Education & Research in Nagaland, for which we have already acquired about 200 acres of prime land at Sukhovi village in Chümoukedima district,” announced the Governor.
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Agriculture and rural employment
Under the Digital Agriculture Mission, a Centralized Command Centre has been established at the Directorate of Agriculture where modern technology involving use of Drone Technology, loT, GIS and Remote sensing will be utilized to introduce smart farming concepts to help our farmers adopt modern farming practices.
Under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Rural Development Department has generated 177.32 lakh person days and provided employment to 4.07 lakh households during the current year 2023-24. Further under Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana Gramin (PMAY-G), the rural housing scheme, more than 9,500 houses have been completed and the Department aims to complete the remaining houses as per the given target by the end of this financial year.
Tourism and Conservation efforts
The successful implementation of the JICA Assisted Nagaland Forest Management Project (NFMP) in the State by the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change has been appreciated by the Department of Economics Affairs, Govt of India by showcasing a documentary on the NFMP to other States implementing JICA assisted projects. A decade of Amur Falcon Conservation in Nagaland was also commemorated with the release of Nagaland State poster by State of India’s Birds and a report by Wildlife Institute of India titled ‘Understanding the Amur Falcon.’
The governor thanked the collective efforts of the Government and private stakeholders, for making Nagaland one of the most thriving and sought after tourist destinations. He highlighted that the Sydney Morning Herald, a respected daily in Australia has identified Nagaland as one of the 16 most exciting tourist destinations in the world for 2024. “The Hornbill Festival 2023 was a global showcase of our rich culture and diplomatic success, as we witnessed the participation by the United States of America, Germany, and Colombia as our partner countries. The 10 days Festival registered a total footfall of more than 1,54,000, including more than 2,000 foreign tourists and 37,000 domestic tourists coming to see the Festival,” stated La Ganesan.
Drug Free State
The Governor also express commitment to create a drug free State and towards this objective, the State has launched a ‘War on Drugs’ to combat the drug use menace in Nagaland. “The Anti Narcotics Task Force has been set up in all Districts, and efforts are being made to disrupt the Drug networks,” said the Governor, adding that the Government is carrying out extensive awareness programmes on adverse effects of substance abuse through various platforms, including social media to reach out to the students and the youth.
“We have made good headway in most sectors of human endeavours over the past six decades of our Statehood, and the credit for this goes to every citizen of the State. All these positive developments are the outcomes of the people centric developmental policies of the Government on the one hand, and the enduring and resilient character being exhibited by the people of the State.” stated the Governor
He encouraged all the citizens of Nagaland to recommit themselves to become law abiding, responsible citizens and work with renewed enthusiasm to make Nagaland one of the most progressive and developed States in India.
