Dimapur, Oct 13 (MExN): Clearly convinced that the Naga insurgency has been a major contributing factor to Nagaland missing out the first two 5 year plans and hampering development, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today spelled out a list of ‘requests’ to the visiting Union Minister for Science & Technology, Earth Sciences Kapil Sibal. The Chief Minister appealed to the Union Government for a wide range of development boosters notable among them extension of communication technologies, a set policy for Science & Technology, an Engineering College, Bio-Chemical Laboratories and Automatic Weather Stations. Rio got more than he asked.
“As you are aware, the Naga insurgency, which had often been termed as the ‘mother of all insurgencies’ in the North East , has been continuing for the last five and half decades, seriously hampering the development process. In fact, Nagaland had completely missed out the first two 5 year plans as it coincided with the heights of insurgency in Nagaland” Rio stated. He however acknowledged that “peace” from the 9 years ceasefire between the Government of Indian and the NSCN-IM, brought about development in the state. “I want to take advantage of your presence here today to request the Government of India to urgently and seriously take forward the peace process to its logical conclusion and help bring permanent peace to the state” Rio conveyed to Union Minister Sibal at the launching of the Nagaland Bamboo Resource Center at 6th Mile, Dimapur today.
Rio is “somewhat” disappointed with India’s ‘Look-East’ policy though. “The Look-East policy of the Government of India has been on the anvil for a number of years now. We are, however, somewhat disappointed that this has not yet been properly defined and therefore we are not sure what it really means. Whether it means that India will look towards the economies of south east Asia, China or Japan etc., or that India will look towards its own eastern frontiers and build it up to be the springboard for its economic interface with economies of eastern Asia” Rio said.
Also, Neiphiu Rio was in the know what ‘gifts’ the Union Minister was bringing for Nagaland. “I am also very happy that Honorable Union Minister has come not only to visit the places, but with a variety of programmes and project proposals for the development of the state” he said before Sibal was to address the gathering. Rio’s ‘requests’ included partnership of the Bamboo Mission with the United Nations Industrial development Organization, extension to the state latest communication technologies, an engineering college, a specific IT policy, bio-chemical labs, Tissue Culture labs, Gene Banks, Automatic Water Stations etc.
