Seen in this picture is the President of India, Pranab Mukherjee with Nagaland Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio and Nagaland Governor, Ashwani Kumar at Raj Bhavan, Kohima on May 14.
Chizokho Vero
Kohima | May 14
President of India Pranab Mukherjee today asserted that peace and security are essential to any development and appealed to all citizens to work towards it.
Mukherjee said it is essential for the people of Nagaland to seek out a peaceful environment wherein their dreams can be achieved without “fear or favour.”
In his address at the cultural programme at Durbar Hall, Raj Bhavan, which was organised in his honour, the President said young people must eschew all forms of violence. “I am glad to note that the motto of the State government is ‘Peace for Development and Development for Peace’,” he said.
Human progress and growth, said Mukherjee, are both essential. Coupled with these is the need for the Nagas to reach out to other states. Expressing happiness that so many young people from the North East are working so well in the field of hospitality and IT in many major cities in the country, the President of India called upon the young to also “pursue the whole world as their footstool.”
Stating that the “Look East Policy” of the Indian government will only be as successful as citizens want it to be, he urged citizens of the North East on international borders to actively seek business and industry in neighbouring countries and be a part of the great Indian diaspora, who are today transforming lives in the country and also the countries that they are naturalized in. Pranab Mukherjee urged the people to be global citizens in their work, and the place to begin this is with their outlook.
As the state of Nagaland enters the threshold of its 50th anniversary, the President said that it is time for leaders to introspect.
“The forthcoming jubilee year should be one wherein all of us put our minds together, to rededicate ourselves to nation building, to work towards the welfare of the least of our peoples and to reorient our goals to match with those of the nation at large,” he said adding that fifty years is a long enough time for the state to achieve a clear consciousness and self confidence in itself, to think outwards and to reach out to others.
“The aim for the fifty years should be for a fully developed Nagaland wherein young people are able to find here the same avenues as in the rest of the country. But along with these come the duties and responsibilities of our citizens. To meet these goals and to ensure Nagaland is an equal and contributing partner to nation building, the admirable Naga pride must also be matched with hard work and sacrifice,” the President said.
Referring to the third convocation of the Nagaland University at Lumami tomorrow (May 15), Mukherjee said “I am looking forward to the convocation and to meeting with the best of Naga minds.” “It is the interest of Young India that I am particularly keen to pursue and I wish to be assured that they inherit a future India that is developed in all fields,” he said.
The President also added that every Indian must be guaranteed that they have dreams which are attainable and achievable, be they from Kerala or Kohima, adding this must be based on equitable sharing of developmental benefits, which in turn springs from inclusive growth.
