Dignitaries during the release of State Focus Paper 2026-27 in Kohima on February 3. Morung Photo
State Focus Paper 2026-27 released
Our Correspondent
Kohima | February 3
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) today organised the State Credit Seminar (SCS) 2026-27 at Hotel de Oriental Grand, Kohima under theme “Promoting entrepreneurship and innovation.”
The seminar was attended by senior officials of the State Government, Reserve Bank of India, bankers, financial institutions, and representatives of development agencies, providing a common platform for deliberations on credit planning and development priorities for Nagaland.
The State Focus Paper (SFP) 2026–27 was released, which projects the State’s priority sector credit potential at Rs. 3,088.27 crore for FY 2026–27.
The publication serves as a critical input for formulation of the Annual Credit Plan (ACP) by banks operating in the State.
The State Focus Paper is prepared by NABARD through a bottom-up, evidence-based approach, beginning with assessment of credit potential at the block level and consolidating district-wise projections.
NABARD launches PLPs for all 17 districts
P. Bulte, General Manager/OIC, NABARD informed that NABARD has launched the Potential Linked Credit Plan (PLPs) for all 17 districts of Nagaland, as earlier district-wise plans were prepared for undivided districts only due to non-availability of data for newly created districts.
He emphasised that preparation of the State Focus Paper (SFP) is a shared responsibility of NABARD, line departments and banks, and underscored the need for close coordination and timely data sharing.
He further highlighted that Agristack could emerge as a key priority for the State Government, enabling more credible and targeted credit delivery to farmers, and stressed that sustained synergy among all stakeholders is essential for achieving tangible and sustainable development in the State.
H. Lalhlimpuia, Coordinator, State Level Bankers’ Committee (SLBC) Nagaland, drew attention to the low level of priority sector lending, which stood at 24.81 per cent of total advances, significantly below the mandated level of 40 per cent, and urged banks to take concerted steps to improve priority sector performance in the coming years.
Call for data accuracy to make SFP more scientific, robust
Sibo Nekhini, General Manager/OIC, RBI highlighted concerns regarding the quality of data available in the State and emphasised that improved data accuracy is essential to make the State Focus Paper more scientific and robust.
He also referred to the structural constraints affecting development in Nagaland and stressed the need for focused upskilling of youth to enhance employability.
Imtimenla, Additional Secretary, Finance Department, Government of Nagaland, stated that credit planning must be aligned with the State’s economic realities and unique ecological conditions. She highlighted the need to move beyond conventional agriculture credit and focus on areas such as terrace farming, plantations, livestock, agro-forestry and jhum cultivation, along with development of agricultural value chains. She also referred to the Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative, aimed at bringing more people under the formal credit structure, and emphasised that the outcomes of the State Focus Paper should translate into measurable and monitorable results.
Nagaland Integrated Information System
Orenthung Lotha, Commissioner & Secretary, Cooperation, Govt of Nagaland, referring to observations on data quality, informed that the Department of Information & Public Relations is planning to come out with Nagaland Integrated Information System, which is expected to significantly improve data availability and reliability in the future.
He also highlighted progress under the PACS Computerisation Project, noting that 231 PACS have been computerised in the State.
He observed that despite Nagaland being the third most literate State in the country, employability remains a challenge and reiterated that youth skill development continues to be a priority area for the State Government.
During the open-house discussion; senior bankers and stakeholders deliberated on sectoral credit performance, regional gaps, and operational challenges such as infrastructure bottlenecks, KCC and land-related issues.
The programme also witnessed experience sharing by North East Initiative Development Agency (NEIDA) and Community Educational Centre Society (CECS).
Earlier, welcome address was delivered Imsunaro, Assistant General Manager, NABARD while Amit Kumar Goutam, Assistant General Manager, NABARD made a presentation of State Focus Paper 2026-27.
Vote of thanks was proposed by O.P. Mounglang, Deputy General Manager, NABARD.
