Nagaland celebrated its 63rd statehood day at Nagaland Secretariat Plaza Kohima on December 1. In his speech Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio acknowledged the courage, perseverance and foresight of the people to collectively overcome all the challenges and obstacles, enabling the State to attain greater heights. “Today we celebrate our achievements but remain conscious that much still remains to be done for our people,” expressed Rio.
On the Naga Political issue, he expressed the Government’s unwavering pursuit pursuing for an early settlement with the setting up of the Political Affairs Committee comprising all the Ministers, Advisors, representatives of all the political parties, and members of Parliament to review and discuss all major issues relating to Naga Political Issue.
Further, the State Government convened a broad-based Consultative Meeting on 12 September 12, 2024 with all stakeholders where it was unanimously resolved to appeal to the Government of India to elevate the ongoing dialogue and peace process to the highest political level by appointing an interlocutor.
Rio appealed to all the Naga Political Groups, the Government of India and all the stakeholders to arrive at an honourable, acceptable and inclusive settlement without further delay.
While the State has endeavoured for equity and inclusivity in developmental pursuits, the Chief Minister acknowledged that the districts of Eastern Nagaland has not been able to reach the same levels of development and progress as other regions of the State. “We fully understand the concerns of our people of Eastern Nagaland and are committed to addressing their aspirations as expressed through their desire for an arrangement in the form of FNTA. With the last tripartite talks between the representatives of Government of India, State Government, and ENPO on 9th September 2025 at Dimapur, followed by joint meetings of ENPO with the officials of the State Government, and the meeting of ENLU with ENPO, and the recent submission of comments on the points of the draft Memorandum of Settlement Ill for FNTA to MHA by the State Government, we are hopeful of early resolution of all the issues regarding FNTA,” stated Rio.
On the Hornbill Festival, Rio informed that this year, the Hornbill Festival is set to be even more vibrant, diverse, and culturally enriching with the collaboration with six Partner Countries – Austria, Malta, Switzerland, Ireland, France, and the United Kingdom – along with Arunachal Pradesh as the State Partner. The Chief Minister maintained that the festival was “more than just a celebration- it’s a testament to the resilience, strength and indomitable spirit of our people”. A key highlight of this year’s programme will also be a dedicated Round Table session for each Partner Country.
Rio also noted that the State’s population is significantly youthful with about
22 percent in the age bracket of 15 to 25 years. Acknowledging the strength of the youth, he informed that the government has centred many initiatives further the potential of the people of the State. To enhance excellence in Sports and nurture talent amongst youth, 31 multidisciplinary indoor stadiums and 28 futsal grounds have been sanctioned across the districts, informed Rio.
Further, to encourage and promote sports activities in the districts the government has decided to set aside 23 lakh per Assembly Constituency from LADP, 2025-2026 onwards as “District sports fund”. To further promote sports in the State, the state is preparing to host the Asian Women’s Sepak Takraw Championship next year in 2026 with participation from over twenty South Asian Countries.
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“The Chief Minister’s Corpus Fund (CMCF) continues to serve as a vital initiative aimed at promoting inclusive growth, self-reliance, and empowerment across various sectors of the State and is particularly beneficial for young entrepreneurs, women-led enterprises, and rural innovators, enabling them to transform viable ideas into sustainable businesses,” added Rio. Through CMCF, Financial assistance was provided to 184 entrepreneurs for the previous year and to 191 beneficiaries currently
In the education sector, Rio informed that under the NECTAR Project, implemented by the Department of School Education with support from the World Bank, Light House School Complexes are being constructed in 16 districts, and currently 35 percent progress has been made in construction work.
Further under the NECTAR Project, the Examination Reform initiative has made significant progress in improving examination practices through close collaboration with the Nagaland Board of School Education (NBSE). Further in September 5, 2025, an agreement was signed between Samagra Shiksha Nagaland and Yamaha Music India Pvt Ltd to implement the “School Project” on Pilot basis in 40 Elementary schools in Kohima and Dimapur to enrich music education in Elementary Schools. A state wide initiative, “Mission SOAR, Nagaland” was also launched on the same day to transform the public education system in Nagaland into an agile, inclusive, and high performing system, rooted in local culture focusing on student learning outcomes.
Rio also expressed the Government’s commitment to strengthen and improve the connectivity infrastructure with the completion of 75.20 km under PMJSY and 17.16 kilometre under NESIDS during the past one year by PWD; widening and strengthening work on 68.6 km of NH 61 (New NH 2); and completion of the Riding Quality on NH-702A for a total length of 32 km.
With an aim to establish a robust intra-state air connectivity, Rio informed that four landing strips has been proposed at strategic locations in the State, namely, at Ciethu, Kohima, and in Mokokchung, Mon and Tuensang, which could be catered by a small, STOL-capable aircraft. A team from Ministry of Civil Aviation will be soon visiting all the proposed sites for a detailed feasibility study.
He also highlighted the potential of Nagaland’s rivers and water bodies to be used as inland waterway corridors. In this regard, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, has selected three water bodies-Noune, Shilloi and Doyang lake- as Inland Waterway Corridors for the promotion of tourism and water sports in the State. A revised proposal has been submitted to Inland Waterways Authority of India for the development of Tizu-Zungki river in the first phase, to facilitate promotion of tourism, water sports, and passenger services.
In the power sector, the CM cited the upgradation of the existing 132/66/33kV, 200 MVA Nagarjan Substation, Dimapur to 350 MVA, and the under construction of the 220/132/33kV Substation with associated transmission lines at Tsitrongse (Diezephe) to meet the increasing power demand and ensure reliable power supply to Dimapur Load Centre.
To establish a robust and reliable transmission system and to meet the revised projected load demand of 304 MW of the State by 2035, a comprehensive transmission plan has been finalized with the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Ministry of Power, Government of India, he informed
Assuring the State’s commitment to strive for good health of its citizens, Rio highlighted that the Health Department is actively taking forward the Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan, a nationwide health initiative focused on improving the health and nutrition of women and children across India. Further, Nagaland achieved NIL Malaria cases in seven districts in 2024 and a contender in the race towards malaria elimination in the North east region. The Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme, was honoured with the 2024 Innovation Award in the Health Sector by the Centre for Innovations in Public Systems (CIPS), reflecting the State Government’s commitmentto equitable and accessible healthcare for all, cited the CM.
With a vision to provide quality and affordable healthcare to the people of Nagaland, Rio reminded that the Government initiated the project to establish 400-bedded Medical College Hospital at NIMSR, Kohima with the extended support of JICA through an ODA loan. The project aims to strengthen the State healthcare system, addressing existing healthcare challenges and provide advance medical education in Nagaland.
