View of the Doyang River in Wokha district which is a favourite of the tourist. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 3
Nagaland Governor La Ganesan maintained that the future of Nagaland state “is dependent as much on the soft power capabilities as on the resource strength and physical and human capital availability in our state.”
He said that the 25 edition of the Hornbill Festival attracted 205968 attendees, including 2527 international and 56217 domestic tourists. “The inflow of tourists has a positive impact on the economy of the state providing additional employment opportunities in the state,” Ganesan said while addressing the sixth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) here on March 3. To enhance the tourist experience, the Government provided training to homestay owners, taxi operators and tour operators. A local taxi-hailing service, Ura Cabs was also launched.
Stating that the key achievements of the Tourism Department was the completion of Phase-I Development of the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, Ganesan said “This phase included expansion of the parking lot, construction of toilet blocks, increasing the seating capacity to approximately 7000, among other improvements.” The Phase-2 Development of the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama has commenced with plans on upgrading the VIP rostrum and the main stage to international standards.
Additionally, under Swadesh 2.0, Eco-tourism Experience at Chümoukedima Viewpoint and Tribal Cultural Experience at Midway Retreat, Chümoukedima has been initiated.
He said that the Department is focusing on projecting the State as a Green Destination to achieve the goals enshrined in the Nagaland Tourism Policy 2024. Konyak Heritage Complex at Mon is also nearing completion.
The Department of Art &Culture marked a milestone with the release of the Anglo-Poula (Chakhesang) Dictionary in October. The Subhas Chandra Bose Memorial Indoor Stadium at Phesama and the Artist Dormitory have been completed by the Department.
Under Special Assistance to State for Capital Investment (SASCI) 2023- 24, a Children & Adolescence Library and Digital Infrastructure is being implemented by the Department. Till date, 68 libraries have been constructed in various Districts, he said.
Nine Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under the Department of Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, provides training across 16 trades, including 12 engineering and 4 non-engineering disciplines. So far, 11,092 trainees have successfully passed the All India Trade Test.
Under the Skill Acquisition and Knowledge Awareness for Livelihood Promotion (SANKALP) project, a Center of Excellence for Media & Entertainment is being established in collaboration with the Media & Entertainment Skill Council, he said.
The Department of Information & Public Relations to keep up with the mobile age, has developed a user-friendly app, DIPR Nagaland Mobile App compatible with Android phones, which can be downloaded from Google Play Store, he said.
Seven well-equipped Multi Media Mobile Vehicles to cater to broadcasting of various awareness and educational videos, documentaries etc were flagged-off during this Financial Year, Ganesan said.
Considering the importance of films and its impact on our society, the Department has sent representatives from Nagaland to the 29 Busan International Film Festival in South Korea, the 55th International Film Festival of India in Goa and the 18 Mumbai International Film Festival, he said.
He said that the state government has introduced the Nagaland Super League (NSL), a prospective self-sustainable football league.
The Department also organized the 68 National School Games in SepakTakraw U-19 Girls Championship at IG Stadium from November 25-27, 2024 with 17 states competing. Recognizing the global growth of e-sports, the department hosted the inaugural Hornbill e-sports Championship on 6 and 7 of December 2024 at Indira Gandshi Stadium, Kohima.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) scheme, the Department of Youth Resources and Sports targets to provide skill training to 1,050 youths across three job roles for one year, sponsored by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.
He said that the Pre-fabricated Centre for Excellence in Music & Arts (CEMA) at TaFMA, Kohima, has been completed.
He said that the Nagaland Public Service Commission advertised 305 posts under NCS/NPS/NSS & Allied services and Common Education Services and declared the results through different exams with a total selection of 154 candidates.
During the calendar year 2024, the Nagaland Staff Selection Board had successfully conducted recruitment process and recommended 341 (three hundred forty one) candidates for appointment in various positions under Clerical & Allied Services Examination (CASE), Combined Technical & Educational Services Examination (CTESE) and Combined Uniform Services Examination (CUSE), he said.
He said that the Department of Fire & Emergency Services, has constructed 15 Rainwater harvesting Reservoirs along with deep borewells for its utility towards fire prevention and safety in the state, under SASCI covering ten districts.
The Prisons Department completed the construction of Petrol Pump at District Jail, Dimapur to provide employment to jail inmates as part of rehabilitation and reforms on release from imprisonment and will help them earn and lead a better life.
During the fiscal year 2024-25, a significant allocation of Rs 10.00 crore was made under the Chief Minister's Corpus Fund (CMCF) to support initiatives aimed at fostering education, entrepreneurship and skill enhancement across different sectors.
“At present, there are 29 ongoing projects (including erstwhile NLCPR) under NESIDS (OTRI) for total approved cost of Rs. 526.83 crore.
Under the PM-DeVINE, at present there are 4(four) ongoing projects for total approved cost of ` 376.87 crore.
The North Eastern Council (NEC) is undertaking 74 projects in various sectors in different districts in Nagaland.
The Nagaland GIS & Remote Sensing Centre carried out comprehensive mapping for all District Headquarters and Towns, integration of urban data and reconstructions, Drone Technology providing a real-time data for more effective planning and management, he said.
