Kohima, March 25 (PTI): The Nagaland budget for the next fiscal envisages increased inflow of private investments into several areas through a new public-private partnership cell set up in the finance department.
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, after presenting a deficit budget of Rs 323 crores in the Assembly yesterday, told reporters that private companies have evinced keen interest in investing in the state’s power, mining and hydrocarbon sectors and the government is in the process of signing MoUs with them.
A coal mine in Mon district has been leased to a private firm and eight coal prospecting licenses have been issued to other companies after a new state coal mining policy and the Coal Mining Act were enacted, he said. Noting that the government had granted petroleum prospecting licenses and a petroleum mining lease to oil companies, he said exploration and production could not be started because of hindrances created by land owners in Wokha district.
According to the budget proposal, the public-private partnership (PPP) cell will examine all project proposals to ascertain risk factors and viability and forward them to the Centre’s department of economic affairs for clearance.
Potential areas for PPP projects are agriculture, industries, urban development, power, tourism, water supply, healthcare and education.
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