Governor of Nagaland RN Ravi
Kohima, August 14 (MExN): Nagaland Governor RN Ravi Nagaland on Saturday said “Nagaland has been and shall ever remain an integral part of India.”
Extending greetings to the people of the State on the eve of India’s 75th Independence Day, Ravi appealed to the Naga people to break the colonial miasma and march in step with the rest of the country in the journey of shared prosperity whilst preserving their own unique cultural identity.
“In the unfolding epochal story of India’s resurgence, Nagaland cannot be left behind,” he stated.
Ravi who is also the interlocutor for the ongoing Naga peace talks said illicit gangs and guns and institutionalized corruption must be eliminated and a healthy ecosystem of investment and entrepreneurship must be built in the State.
Stating that Nagaland’s position as the gateway of South-East Asia offers the State unique geo-economic opportunities, Ravi said that Nagaland must prioritise developing its precious human resource, which unfortunately, has suffered a relative decline in recent decades.
He also emphasised on building robust and equitable health and education sectors to ensure a healthy, skilled and well-educated citizenry. We have to ensure that the current low rate of enrolment in schools and unacceptably high rate of dropouts is reduced to zero, he added.
The Governor also said that the state should build modern physical and digital connectivity infrastructures. He said that some 1,800 kms of national highways in the State are under construction and the State capital Kohima will be connected by railways in the next two years.
Touching on the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics, he said the sportspersons, including those from the North East, have made the country proud with their stellar performances. Recounting how Dr Talimeren Ao raised the Indian tricolour and led the Indian football contingent at the London Olympics in 1948, Ravi said the youths of the State have enormous sports potential. Given the right environment they can do wonders and make the State and the country proud, he added.
Ravi appealed to the youths of the State to race ahead keeping pace with time, technology and contemporary realities. He also urged them to maintain strong emotional and cultural bonds with their own custom, tradition and identity and overcome the narcissism of minor differences.
Pointing out that the country and the world are changing at an unprecedentedly fast pace, Ravi said, “Your march into the future has to keep pace with the change around and it cannot be by looking into the rear-view mirror.”
“A bright and beautiful dawn is beckoning at the horizon. We must welcome it with our unwavering commitment to the rule of law, hard work, truth, transparency and justice,” Ravi added.
