Our Correspondent
Kohima | October 31
Established in 1968 with its motto “Uplift,” the state’s Department of Social Welfare has been tirelessly serving the people of Nagaland by connecting various welfare schemes/packages.
Through its golden jubilee celebration here today at Capital Convention Centre, the Department shared 50 years successful journey to the people of Nagaland and reaffirmed to serve the people with more zeal and devotion.
Grown from strength to strength: Noke
Gracing the occasion as guest of honour, Noke Wangnao, Advisor Social Welfare, Home Guards and Civil Defence maintained that the department has gradually grown from strength to strength, providing humanitarian services to the down-trodden. Wangnao was social welfare minister in 1977-1982, when the department was still in its nascent stage.
“The last 50 years has seen rapid expansion of the department which entails bigger responsibilities to every officers for rendering better and more meaningful services to the people of the state,” said Wangnao.
Stating that the people of the state have high expectations from the department, he said “It is our responsibility to fulfil their needs. I am ready to attend to those needs.”
He said that over the years, the responsibilities and prerogatives of the social welfare is increasing and with it comes greater responsibilities with more focus on the Women, the Children and Adolescent, the Senior Citizens, the Widows and the Differently-able.
“It is my commitment to see that whatever service provided through the four Ministries are delivered to the targeted beneficiaries, and also to make all effort to see that the issues faced by them are addressed,” he said. He was hopeful that the department would continue to strive in its pursuit of excellence.
Reaching 3.66 lakh ICDS beneficiaries
Social welfare director T. Merangtsiingba Aier said looking back 1968 with only four officers and handful of staff and with the time goes by, there has been substantial improvement in many aspect in the departments and today the department have more than 150 officers and about a thousand staff.
“We have improvised the service delivery systems in the ICDS programme, better quality with micro-nutrient fortified supplementary food, verities of modern educative and durable ICDS materials are made available in all the 3980 Anganwadi Centre covering all the villages across the state reaching to 3.66 lakh ICDS beneficiaries,” said Aier. He said the department delivers services from pregnancy to crave i.e. when a women get pregnant “we identify her and provide necessary service to the women and after the birth of the child, the service is continued upto 6 month to the lactating mother.”
The director said children from 7th month onwards upto 6 years are our beneficiary followed by services for the adolescent girl and destitute women.
The department is providing grant-in-aid to more than 50 NGOs who are working hand in hand with the department for the welfare of Child Welfare, Drugs & substance Abuse, Senior Citizen and People with Disability (PWD).
Department extending humanitarian services: Ritse
Sarah R. Ritse, secretary social welfare said when we talk about the way forward and the development of a state, the process must also include upliftment of the weakest and the most vulnerable section of the society.
“This include the disabled, the aged, women and children, especially those in the most rural areas of the state. This is where a department like social welfare comes in,” she said.
She said the department exists to look into the welfare of those in societies that need assistance, adding that the department is extending humanitarian services that will have much wider and far reaching effect on the people in Nagaland as a whole.
Social Welfare first director A.Y. Odyuo said he was appointed to study, plan and organise the formation of the social welfare department a year before the establishment of the department in 1968.
Retd. director Khevito T. Shohe expressed satisfaction to have worked in a department which provides services to the people similar to the theologians: upliftment of the poor, elderly, differently-abled and children. Akangmeren also spoke on the occasion.
What the department deliver to people:
• Providing old age pension to 57,400 senior citizens
• Providing assistance to 4,464 widow
• Providing assistance to 3,276 disable persons
• Providing scholarship to 208 students
• Providing assistance to 1,625 totally blind persons
