Longrangty Longchar
Tuensang | July 31
The state’s chief minister Neiphiu Rio today arrived in Tuensang to attend the final day of the Naknyulum festival-second state road show being held in Tuensang. Welcoming the chief minister, accompanied by Lok Sabha MP CM Chang, Chang Khuilen Satshang leader MC Chollen expressed happiness at the arrival of the chief minister and the Lok Sabha MP. He said the concern shown by the chief minister for the people would never be forgotten. Chollen further reiterated support to the chief minister in the days to come.
The chief minister, while expressing regret that he could not make it to yesterday’s inaugural programme due to bad weather yesterday, however said his heart was with the people of Tuensang. Asserting that the road show was not merely a show, Rio said there is a meaning and purpose in organizing it. He said the exhibitions by the various departments are meant to show to the people what the government is doing for the people and what benefits they can get from the government. People say that there are lots of agriculture or horticulture farms that are dying out. To show that it is not so, he said, and that the government is working for the people, the road show was organized.
Saying that a child does not remain a child forever after it is born, Rio said the people also cannot remain “backward” forever. Likewise, he said that the people cannot be spoon-fed forever. Rio said that the government cannot rear cows and give meat and milk to the people. ‘Governments don’t do business, it is the public who do business,’ he said. Also urging that culture should be preserved, Rio said it can be displayed to visiting people who come to the state from other countries. He said tourists come to Nagaland only to see what they do not see in their countries. The chief minister also declared that the road show would be held even in the years to come. He encouraged the women folk to preserve their cuisine, document them, set up hotels and sell it to people who would like to have a taste of local food.
Asking the people to find out what their specialty is, Neiphiu Rio said Tuensang district is famed for the production of ‘kolar’ (beans) and handicraft. He asked the people to develop it so that others would recognize the district as a ‘kolar district’ or ‘handicraft district.’ This way the so-called “backwardness” would disappear. Talking about “backwardness,” Rio said Tuensang district came into the fold of Nagaland state only after Nagaland attained statehood; earlier it was known as ‘un-administered area’ by the British and later North East Frontier Agency.
Rio said there is “backwardness” as the area remained un-administered for more than hundred years. So the DAN government decided that just mere words would not solve the problem, and therefore formed the Department of Underdeveloped Areas (DUDA); its budget now has grown to Rs. 100 crore. He also said that the government would be building schools, hostels, hospitals and introduce various developmental programmes even in the interior areas of Tuensang and would be spending more than Rs 30 crore for them.
As in Mon district, the government would introduce science stream in Tuensang as well he said. He sought the people’s prayer for the government and to extend their cooperation so that they can jointly bring about development in Tuensang.
Earlier, Lok Sabha MP CM Chang thanked the people of Tuensang for waiting for the chief minister, as they could not come yesterday. He also thanked the people for voting for him and electing him as the Lok Sabha MP from Nagaland. He also praised the chief minister and said Rio is bringing about rapid development in the state. The closing ceremony was held at 12:30 with Parliamentary Secretary Tohanba as the chief guest.
