Nagaland Chief Minister, Dr. Neiphiu Rio, has led an official high-level delegation to New Delhi, including the Deputy Chief Minister, Y. Patton, Members of the State Cabinet, and Members of the Sub-Committee of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC).
The delegation met senior Central leaders, including the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah; the Union Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman; and the Union Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh, among others.
During the meeting with the Union Home Minister, the Honourable Members of Parliament, Supongmeren Jamir (Lok Sabha) and Phangnon Konyak (Rajya Sabha) also participated as members of the PAC Sub-Committee.
During the meeting the team raised important and pertinent issues to the Government of India.
Indo-Naga Peace Process: On the lines of the 4-point resolutions adopted by the Consultative Meeting on Naga Political Issue held on 12th September, 2024, it was once again reiterated by the Chief Minister that the Indo-Naga peace talks were declared as talks at the highest level and that it was necessary to restore the talks at the highest political level by appointment of an interlocutor of political or ministerial level to expedite the talks and work towards realisation of an early and honourable solution to the Indo-Naga political issue. The Union Home Minister was positive on the suggestion and indicated that a Minister of State for Home Affairs and officers from the Home Ministry will be appointed for the Naga talks.
Financial Pattern for Nagaland: The Chief Minister highlighted the financial situation of the State and stated that Nagaland is a special political State formed out of a political agreement, and it was assured in the 16 Points Agreement that the funds required for administration and development of Nagaland would be paid from the Consolidated Fund of India.
The Chief Minister, in his official representation, stated that “When Nagaland became a State in 1963, it was recognised as a special case because of its history, political context, and limited economic base at the time. In fact, Nagaland’s creation as the 16th State of the Indian Union was the outcome of a political settlement. The 16-Point Agreement acknowledged that the new state would begin its journey under exceptional circumstances – political, geographic, security-related, and economic. Recognising these realities, as per Point No. 11 of the Agreement the Government of India undertook to bear the expenditure of the State from the Consolidated Fund of India, allowing Nagaland the fiscal space to stabilise governance, institutions, and public administration. Rio said this was a nation-building commitment, not a concession. Subsequently, however, the withdrawal of this arrangement in 1989, without dialogue or concurrence of the State, disrupted the foundational understanding. Over time, this has placed Nagaland in a structurally vulnerable fiscal position requiring resources gap funding in the form of Revenue Deficit Grants, amongst others”, he stated.
Rio appealed that this financial pattern should be restored considering the financial position and the political nature of Nagaland. The Union Home Minister positively responded to this request and assured that the request of the Nagaland Government for financial funding would be undertaken from the Consolidated Fund of India. Similarly, the same issues were flagged to the Union Finance Minister for urgent consideration of the Centre, to which she assured the support of the Government of India.
Protected Area Permit Regime: The matter of lifting of the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime in Nagaland and relaxations of the Free Movement Regime was once again raised.
In this regard, the Chief Minister asserted that “The State Cabinet had on 6th January 2025, and 27th March 2025 deliberated on the re-imposition of PAP and the State Government wrote to the MHA on 22nd January 2025 seeking revisiting the decision of the re-imposition of PAP regime in Nagaland and restoring the relaxation granted to Nagaland earlier. Again, the state Cabinet has on 16 December 2025, and 3rd February 2026 further deliberated on the matter and decided to pursue with the MHA, GoI for the complete relaxation of the PAP from the state of Nagaland.
The Chief Minister had also written letters to the Government of India on 18th July 2025, 10th September 2025, 17th November 2025, and 28th November 2025 to review the re-imposition of PAP in Nagaland. The Union Home Minister assured that this matter would be positively looked into by the Home Ministry.
Free Movement Regime: The Chief Minister, in his representation, also stated that “Nagaland shares a 215 Kilometre international boundary with Myanmar across Naga communities residing on both sides of the border. These communities have for generations maintained deep rooted social, cultural and economic ties with regular cross-border movement for agriculture, traditional practices and familial responsibilities. The State cabinet deliberated on this matter on 6th January 2025 and accordingly the State Government has written to the MHA requesting to restore the old FMR. On 18th July, 2025, in his letter, Rio have again drawn the attention of the Centre to the changes made in the FMR which are causing hardships and distress to the border communities and has requested for re-examining the revised guidelines and for considering a more flexible and context-sensitive approach that safeguards national security while respecting the traditional rights and way of life of the people. The matter concerning FMR was again deliberated in the State Cabinet in its meeting on 3rd February 2026 and considering the genuine concerns of the people, and the unique demographic and cultural realities of the region, it has been decided to once again take up with the MHA to re-examine the revised FMR guidelines.”
The Union Home Minister gave a patient hearing and assured a positive approach and examination of the matter.

(DIPR)