Chizokho Vero
Kohima | August 5
The need to create better roads and communication facilities, health care, economic development, education and infrastructure for Tuensang, Mon, Longleng and Kiphire district, has been stressed at the second development seminar of the four districts. The seminar, under the aegis of the state government in collaboration with the ministries of Home and DONER, Government of India, was held here today.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio sounded optimistic that with generous funding from the Government of India, the “backward” areas would soon be at par with the rest of the state and become as prosperous. Rio said that special emphasis must be given to these areas with special emphasis on roads, health and the education sector besides livelihood.
He said that since the first development seminar held for Mon and Tuensang in 2000, a number of developmental issues have arisen for consideration and calling for a second seminar to examine related issues cutting across various developmental departments. “Since the last seminar, the state government has made sincere attempts to effectively implement all the recommended projects and schemes with the assistance of various ministries of the Government for India. Barring a few, most of the recommended projects and schemes have been completed,” Neiphiu Rio said.
Considering the importance of having balanced development in all parts of the state, Rio said the department of Development of Underdeveloped Areas was created in 2003 particularly for Tuensang, Mon, Kiphire and Longleng districts with the objective of catering to their needs and improving their living conditions through development. These four districts comprise 1/3rd of the geographical area as well as population of the state.
Rio said that the mandate of the DUDA is not only to fill the critical gaps in the development programmes, but to also supervise implementation of the job reservation quota for the six tribes Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Chang, Yimchunger and Khiamniungan. He also stated that in deference to the demand of these six tribes for adequate representation in the government services at all levels, the government had made provisions for 25% job reservation for them.
DUDA also implements both underdeveloped areas programmes and border areas development programmes with special emphasis on roads, and other infrastructure, health, drinking water, agriculture and allied sectors. The department also organizes exposure trips for legislators and NGOs to both outside the state and abroad.
Over the state’s plan allocation, the department is also exploring all possibilities to upgrade colleges and higher secondary schools with basic infrastructure through assistance from the ministries of DONER and Home Affairs as these areas continue to lag significantly behind others, as reflected in the Human Development analysis, Neiphiu Rio said.
“The state government is fully aware of the urgent need for immediate attention and improvement of these districts, and is working continuously to address the deficiencies,” Rio said. He said that an area requiring urgent attention is the need to create various posts of teachers as most schools are without adequate teaching staff.
The district hospitals in the four districts as well as PHCs also require immediate upgrading with requisite infrastructure and manpower to improve healthcare and delivery system, the chief minister said. He said that sanitation, drinking water, roads and communication are areas that require to be attended to as well.
Also, stating that the region is richly endowed with natural resources, biodiversity and coal and hydel power potential, Rio said “these natural resources require to be scientifically explored and exploited for the economic development of not only the backward regions but also for the state and the nations as a whole.”
For this purpose, he said, the government has recently implemented the Nagaland Coal Policy and the Nagaland Coal Mining Rule 2006. The area is also rich in limestone deposits which are favorable for setting up of modern cement factories and the demand of these products is on the rise. More than 70 per cent of the population of the area depends on agriculture, especially jhum cultivation for their livelihood, Rio said. There is an urgent need to find ways and means of improving these traditional methods of cultivation and replace them with more scientific practices for higher productivity and opportunities, and also to identify market linkages for the benefit of the cultivators, the chief minister said.
“In this regard, the government is placing emphasis on a commercial oriented production programme, to be met through planned strategies of strengthening rural infrastructures, value addition, micro- credit facilities, developing human resources and empowerment of farmers etc.,” Rio said.
The Chief Minister further stressed on the need to have a fresh look at the development of women of these areas through their active participation for all round development, since they constitute a major section of the working force.
Referring to the upgrading and creation of new administrative centers in recent times in the state, Rio sought help from the government for infrastructure development.
He said Nagaland, after Assam, is the first state in North East to get statehood, but till today it does not have regional and national institutes. There are no engineering colleges, medical colleges or nursing colleges where outsiders can come and study in Nagaland, he said and stressed on the need to have a good road connectivity of the interior districts to the state capital Kohima and commercial hub Dimapur.
”We need foothill road from Tizit, Mon, connecting within the state Nagaland” he said adding that passing through Assam has been preventing some from even reaching Nagaland due to frequent bandhs in Assam. Foothill roads must be taken up on priority, he said and that a proposal for railway link to Tuli paper has been submitted to the Union Railway Minister.
