Kohima, November 8 (MExN): Deputy Chairman of the State Planning Board Neiba Kronu has said that the state government is trying to engage various buyers to market organic produce as well as improve the same.
“Towards this end the government is doing its best to improve the production of medicinal and aromatic plants and other organic agricultural and horticultural products as Nagaland has already been declared as organic state and the organic policy has already been framed,” said Kronu.
According to him, the DAN government is all set on an agenda to improve the economic condition of the state by various ways and means like the Externally Aided Projects (EAP) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in addition to centrally sponsored schemes. “The state government shall try to explore these types of opportunities and invite outside entrepreneurs to invest in the state,” he said. Also saying that all aspects of development are to be covered and that the government is trying to bring in changes, he said, even in the planning process, ‘we are trying to bring in changes. DAN government had declared 2008 as the Year of Capacity Building because although we may have so many programmes, we need to educate our people to tap the social capital for human resources development’.
There is much scope for sanctions from different ministries provided there is proper coordination with the various ministries of the Government of India, he said. The newly created monitoring cell shall monitor all the centrally-sponsored scheme programmes which are directly routed to districts without passing through the planning department. The cell shall have the authority to collect information and data from the implementing departments, agencies and officials to guide the concern authorities implementing the CSS.
The programmes to be monitored are only the listed projects in the government but include many other projects being implemented in the districts where the Union Ministry issue cheques directly to respective districts. In the connection, the chief minister has emphasized setting up a monitoring cell in the planning and coordination department under the direct supervision of the deputy chairman of the State Planning Board for effective implementation. The rationale is that, even if funds are directly routed to the districts and NGOs, the state government is accountable and answerable under the RTI Act for all such programmes under implementation in the state, Kronu said.
Also quoting the chief minister that “roads are the face of the state” and improvement of the road sector formed one top priority, Kronu said the minister for Roads and Bridges Kaito Aye “is really taking initiative and under his charge, changes for the better in the road sector will definitely come.”
Besides, the Cabinet has already approved the appointment of a new chief engineer to look after the national highways. Saying that an industry cannot be discussed without the power sector “since we cannot put the cart before the horse”, Kronu stressed on the need to improve the power sector in the state. Under the power minister Doshehe Y. Sema, Kronu added, revenue collections have improved tremendously.
“Now, we have identified some power projects to take up in the state and we may also take up these power projects on Public Private Partnership mode with investment from government and private sectors,” the deputy chairman said. Kronu also pointed to the border trade centers in the Mollen-Avangkhu area in Phek district, Lungwa in Mon district and Pangsha in Tuensang to improve the economic condition of the state.
“For this we also require the cooperation and support of the Myanmar government,” he said adding that the chief minister has invited the Myanmarese ambassador to Nagaland as the state’s guest at the forthcoming Hornbill Festival. Also stating that the present ministry consists of “very good team work and cooperation” among the ministers, parliamentary secretaries, MLAs as well as officers in charge of various department, Kronu hoped that the economic condition of the state will surely improve in due course of time.
