Chizokho Vero
Kohima | September 9
Minister for planning & Coordination TR Zeliang today stated that DONER and the NEC have recently brought out the Vision 2020 document for the north eastern region of India where the growth and development perspectives of Nagaland have also been incorporated. For Nagaland when the State Human Development Report was being drafted, it was decided to incorporate a ‘vision 2020 statement’ in the document.
“The strategies for Nagaland are quite simple. The initial growth is envisaged in the agriculture sector through commercial scale production and productivity,” the minister said adding this was projected to be pursued till 2012.
Speaking at the state level consultation programme on Vision 2020 & Look East Policy at Dimori Cove in Kigwema under the aegis of the Confederation of Tribal People in Development (COTPID), the minister said that by the 11th Plan the emphasis will be on post-harvest management and creation of a conducive agricultural market economy which will give rise to primary processing and other related economic activities fuelled by the agriculture sector. He also stated that by 2015 such economic activities would generate industrial activities and eventually by 2020 industrialization would have been initiated in Nagaland.
He also maintained that there are many other areas of growth envisaged in Vision 2020 pertaining to human development encompassing education, health care and gender. Other economic activities are also envisaged in the form of tourism, art and culture, music and activities that can emerge as trade and commerce. He also cited an example in the education sector that it is thought Nagaland shall be able to export teachers to other parts of the world especially South East Asia.
In the health care sector, he said, it is envisaged that facilities would be built up to the tertiary level to attract patients even from the neighbouring countries.
“Such economic activities approach is expected to push up the per capita income to a level of Rs. 62,000 by 2020 bringing the Naga society to an equivalent level of the developed or the developing countries.
With such a perspective, the minister said the state‘s 10th and the 11th Plans have been drawn up, and is presently intended to fulfill the objectives of commercial scale productivity in agriculture.
“Side by side, the APMCs are being put into place and being motivated to initiate after the marketing aspects,” he said and at the same time stated that the greatest concern, today, however, remains entrepreneurship that are expected to provide the necessary business aspects of storage, transport and processing.
He also stressed the necessity for the private sector to now seriously apply their minds as to how this can be initiated to sustain the growth and productivity in agriculture at commercial scale.
The minister also called upon various organizations to seriously apply their minds as to how this development gap can be bridged, adding “Without this our Vision 2020 will be defeated.”
In this regard, he said, the aspiration and the visions of the people, especially of the youth comprising the educated should undergo change. Also stating that the government cannot employ everyone, he said the real economic opportunities are actually emerging in the private sector.
“Our minds should also be appropriately changed to suit the emerging scenario and we should work together towards this direction in order to fulfill our vision 2020,” he said.
He also stated that vision is not a mere day dream or wishful thinking. Visions are objectives and aims that are set for a society and they are based on hard facts and realities of existence. It is based on our strengths and capabilities and the potentials of what we can do or achieve within a given time frame. Visions statements are also invariably linked to action plans so that our targets are achieved. Later, Dr. Mafuza Rahman talked on concept and provision of Vision 2020 and Look East Policy.
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