Governor, La. Ganesan and Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio visiting the exhibition stalls in Kohima. (DIPR Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | January 26
Nagaland’s Governor La Ganesan today highlighted various achievements and developmental activities of Nagaland state during 75th Republic Day celebration in Kohima.
In his Republic Day address at Nagaland Civil Secretariat Plaza, Kohima in the presence of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, the Governor said that over the years, the Government has taken giant strides in the area of building reliable road infrastructures in the state.
Over the past 2 to 3 years, under PMGSY, NE special Infrastructure Development Scheme, NE Road Sector Development Scheme, Inter state connectivity economic importance, central road fund and other state development schemes, the state could improve, upgrade and strengthen more than 980 kilometres of road.
In addition, under the scheme of Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment 2020-21, 944 kms stretches of road have been taken up for construction and upgradation to further improve the road network in the state.
“We are also actively pursuing for the construction of Foothills Road (Trans- Nagaland Highway),” he said adding that DPR have been prepared for this with a length of 364 Kms at an estimated cost of Rs. 9,000 crores and have submitted to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for early sanction.
ULB elections soon
Governor said that the Nagaland Legislative Assembly has recently passed the Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023 and the relevant Rules have also been framed.
The State Government is committed to holding the Urban Local Bodies elections soon, he said.
Under Jal Jeevan Mission, the Department of PHE has achieved more than 3 lakh Functional Household Tap Connections while more than 64000 households would be covered during the current financial year, he said.
On the development activities of Eastern Nagaland, the Governor said that the Department of Under Developed Areas (DUDA) has successfully executed a number of iconic projects under UDAP and BADP.
Also, the Livelihood Projects with an outlay of Rs.180 crore are in the process of being implemented under PM-DevINE Programme.
The Governor stated that the Department of Higher Education has been able to successfully get 36 colleges out of 71 colleges in the state accredited by the NAAC.
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.
H said that the first medical college in Nagaland, i.e. 'Nagaland Institute of Medical Sciences & Research (NIMSR)' at Kohima, inaugurated on the 14" October 2023 is fully functional now, with the first batch of MBBS students already having their regular classes.
The construction work for the Medical College in Mon is also in good progress, he said.
Kohima Smart City Project progressing well
Ganesan said that the Kohima Smart City Project is progressing well, giving a new landscape and face lift to the state capital city.
He said that Two Multi-Level Parking Complexes were inaugurated and made functional in November 2023.
Other important on-going projects under Kohima Smart City Mission includes; 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.
Highlighting that Nagaland is now one of the most thriving and sought after tourist destinations, he said that the State has been identified as one of the 16 most exciting tourist destinations in the World for 2024 by the Sydney Morning Herald.
Committed to create a Drug Free State
Stating that the government is committed to create a Drug Free State, Ganesan said that 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, he said.
“The government is also carrying out extensive awareness programmes on the adverse effects of substance abuse through various platforms, including social media to reach out to the students and the youth,” he said.
Under the Digital Agriculture Mission, a Centralized Command Centre has been established at the Directorate of Agriculture. Under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the Department of Rural Development has generated 117.32 lakh person days and provided employment to 4.07 lakh households during the current year 2023-24.
Ganesan said that the Department of Economic Affairs, Govt. of India lauded the successful implementation of JICA assisted Nagaland Forest Management Project in the state.
A decade of Amur Falcon conservation in Nagaland was also commemorated with the release of Nagaland state poster by the state of India's birds and a report by wildlife Institute of India titled 'understanding the Amur Falcon'. Additionally the State and District level indicator frameworks have been developed for monitoring the progress of SDG across the state. SDG District Roadmaps for all districts of Nagaland are being developed to achieve the Nagaland SDG Vision 2023.
'Nagaki City' at Chathe valley
“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,” he said.
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.
Under Externally Aided Projects, the Governor stated that the Department of Power has submitted two major projects to Asian Development Bank, 42MW Lower Tizu HEP and 24MW Zungki HEP.
Another 24MW Tizu Valley HEP project has also been proposed.
Setting up of Modern Aggregation Centres at Longnak, Changtongya and Pfutsero along with Integrated Warehousing and Distribution Center at Meluri, a Unity Mall at 6th Mile Sovima, Chümoukedima have been taken up by the Department of Industries and Commerce.
The Governor said that these establishments will yield multifaceted outcomes that will significantly contribute to the socio-economic progress of the region and provide a platform for the promotion and retail of the State's "ODOPs" (One District One Product), GI products and other handicraft items.
