DIMAPUR, AUGUST 4 (MExN): The Chief Secretary of Nagaland Lalthara has written to the general secretary of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO) clarifying that the amount of Rs 300 crore from the Centre as Special Plan Assistance Package for Eastern Nagaland areas was under the State’s Annual Plan in order to address the development deficit. The Chief Secretary was writing in response to the letter from the ENPO seeking clarifications concerning the Special Package for the development of Eastern Nagaland areas.
The letter from the State government clarified that during the discussion held by the Chief Minister with the Deputy Chairman of the planning Commission on the 26th of June, 2012, the CM had made a request to the Deputy Chairman to provide additional plan fund for a special package for the Eastern Nagaland areas, comprising the four districts of Mon, Tuensang, Longleng and Kiphire, so as to address the development deficit in these areas, due to historical and geographical reasons.
The Chief Secretary informed that the Planning Commission had accordingly provided Rs 300 crore of Special Plan Assistance Package for Eastern Nagaland areas out of Additional Central Resource to be provided by the Ministry of Finance, which will be utilized for priority, identified projects to be approved by the Planning Commission.
The State government has further clarified that the Additional Central Resource is a new component in the Scheme of Plan Funding of the Annual Plan of the State and that this fund is being provided by the Planning Commission subject to availability of additional resources from the Ministry of Finance.
Further it was clarified that the Special Plan Assistance Package for the Eastern Nagaland areas is not in place of the demand of ENPO for a separate State and it is also not intended to “soften the stand” of ENPO’s demand for Frontier Nagaland State.
“However, it would be correct to say that the ENPO memorandum dated 25/11/2011 and the subsequent report of the High Power Committee on the demand of ENPO, had sensitized both the State government and the Central Government about the development deficit in Eastern Nagaland areas, prompting them to come out with this special package under the State’s Annual Plan to address the development deficit”.
