In a step towards improving grassroots service delivery, a Letter of Agreement (LoA) was signed among key stakeholders to strengthen maternal and child health, nutrition, and early childhood development across selected districts in Nagaland.
The signing of the LoA took place at the Commissioner’s Office, Nagaland, in Kohima on April 24, 2026, in the presence of Gregory Thejawelie, IAS, Commissioner of Nagaland; Kevileno Angami, Commissioner & Secretary for School Education and SCERT; L. Jamithung Lotha, IAS, State Mission Director of Samagra Shiksha; S. Tainiu, Secretary, Health & Family Welfare; Rev. Dr. S. Chingmak Chang, Founder of Eleutheros Christian Society; along with other officers and NGO leaders.
The agreement brings together the Department of School Education, Department of Health & Family Welfare, the Eleutheros Christian Society (ECS), and the District Administration under a unified convergence framework.
According to the preamble of the agreement, the initiative aims to ensure that every mother and child in the identified districts has access to integrated and quality services related to education, nutrition, and health. The pilot phase will cover 60 villages across six eastern districts- Mon, Longleng, Tuensang, Shamator, Kiphire, and Noklak- identified due to high malnutrition burdens. The initiative is expected to serve as a demonstration model for scaling across the state.
The objectives of the programme include strengthening maternal and child health services through coordinated departmental efforts, ensuring access to nutrition and early childhood care, establishing robust monitoring mechanisms, and creating a scalable model of convergence.
Under the agreement, the Department of School Education will support early learning, facilitate school-based health activities, and strengthen infrastructure and teacher accountability. The Department of Health & Family Welfare will ensure the delivery of essential maternal and child health services, including immunization, antenatal and postnatal care, and the availability of medicines and diagnostics.
The Eleutheros Christian Society (ECS) will play a key role in community mobilization, organizing awareness campaigns, supporting supplementary feeding initiatives, and facilitating training for frontline workers. It will also assist in organizing Aadhaar registration drives to ensure the inclusion of all beneficiaries in welfare schemes.
The District Administration will oversee implementation, conduct regular reviews at the block level, ensure staff attendance, and support the strengthening of Village Councils for effective local governance.
To ensure accountability and progress tracking, a District Convergence Committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of the Deputy Commissioner. Quarterly block-level review meetings will also be conducted with the participation of all stakeholders.
(DPRO Kohima)
