Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio
Dimapur, May 19 (MExN): Delhi based Naga student organisations today wrote to Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, seeking immediate intervention of the state government in alleviating hardships faced by stranded Nagaland citizens in other parts of the country.
In separate letters addressed to the Chief Minister, the Lotha Students’ Union Delhi (LSUD), Delhi Eastern Nagaland Students' Union (DENSU) and Delhi Ao Students Union (DAKT) sought a review on the criteria for the ‘one-time financial assistance’ offered to citizens who opted to stay back in their respective locations after registering to return to Nagaland.
On May 12, the State Government had announced one-time assistance of Rs 10,000 to any stranded person of Nagaland outside the state who has already registered in the Returnees Declaration Form before 12 noon on May 11, and voluntarily opted to stay back.
DAKT: On the ‘one time financial assistance,’ the DAKT said that the criterion “fails to meet the concerns of those who have voluntarily decided to stay back in their respective cities/towns despite untold difficulties.” As such, it urged the Government reconsider its stance and “not to exclude those who are voluntarily staying back from the beginning in their respective cities/town and to administer uniform benefits to all citizens alike.”
The DAKT in its letter stated that many Nagas who are employed in private sectors are being laid off from work and facing difficulties to sustain themselves. The first financial package provided by the Government has helped mitigate the problems faced to some extent, however, the Union has received grievances from students and working professional who are yet to receive the said fund, it said.
The Union also pointed out that it had received several grievances that the helpline numbers provided by the Government are not always responsive and accessible and appealed the CM to look into the matter. “It is imperative that the government helpline is manned 24x7, made easily accessible” and maintained without hitches, DAKT stated.
DENSU:Highlighting grievances of its members stranded in Delhi, DENSU stated that there are “several cases where members are/were unable to pay their rent because of the financial crisis and as such, they were/are being evicted from their houses.”
On receiving these reports, the Union has intervened to sort out the problem however, not everybody was saved from eviction, it stated in the letter.
As per the survey conducted by the DENSU, about 62.4% of its members who work in the private sector are reported to have lost their jobs. “We cannot deny the fact that the initial CM Relief fund provided by the Government has helped several individuals. Nonetheless, many claimed to have not received it for reasons unknown to them,” it said, while urging the concerned authority look into the matter at the earliest.
The Union also said that the criteria set for the ‘one time assistance’ “have been very much restricted where those citizens who voluntarily opted to stay back without registering for the returnee declaration form appear forsaken.” It reasoned that despite economic constraints, many volunteered to stay back wherever they are, because they did not want to bring any risk to the people of Nagaland and as such, urged the state government to reconsider its standpoint.
LSUD: According to the data collected by the LSUD, around 68% of the working Lothas in Delhi-NCR have lost their jobs because of the pandemic lay-offs and are struggling to make ends meet, the Union stated.
Of these, it said, many had chosen not to apply for the special train services, after the appeals were made by various bodies and organizations encouraging people not to travel unless unavoidable, and are dependent on funds from the Government for their survival.
As such, it requested the government “clarify the discrepancies regarding the additional one-time financial assistance promised to the citizens” and requested the government “not to neglect those who have voluntarily chosen to stay back and to give thought to their plight.”
Further, the LSUD appealed the Government to come up with strategies to provide aid in cases of deaths “as transportation and burials have become more demanding than usual, especially for those families who come from weaker economic backgrounds.”
Meanwhile, the three Unions appreciated the efforts of the state government in responding to the pandemic and expressed hope that it would continue to keep Nagaland free from COVID-19.
