Addressing the 76th Republic Day celebration at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat Plaza, Kohima on 26th January 2025, the Governor of Nagaland, La. Ganesan said our Constitution’s ideals have provided us the direction for progress and development, and the rights and privileges granted by the constitution to its citizens anchored in the noble ideals of equality, fraternity and liberty are a testimony to the capacity of the Constitution to meet all democratic aspirations of the people and the special provisions inserted through the 13th Constitutional Amendment Act, Article 371-A, protects our traditions, customs, law and procedure. He said the State Government submitted its comments on the third draft of the Memorandum of Settlement in respect of the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority and to the Ministry of Home Affairs and substantial progress has been made on the matter.
The Governor also said to make our nation a developed country by 2047, concerted efforts are required by all concerned in the fields of education and human development, and our State is taking many initiatives in the education sector such as Pre-primary/Early Childhood Care and Education, Training programmes for ECCE teachers to ensure that they are well-equipped with the new curriculum, Teacher Learning Materials and documented audio visual in 5 (five) schools for supporting the implementation of the new Nagaland Early Childhood Care and Education Curriculum developed SCERT.
In the health sector, the Governor stated that the Chief Minister’s Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS) has been growing in strength with 65 hospitals, each from within and outside the State, have been empanelled under the CMHIS, under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, 76 AB PM-JAY hospitals are empanelled within Nagaland and 21,415 individuals have been benefited from the scheme. He also said that under the Chief Minister’s Universal Life Insurance Scheme (CMLIS), a budget allocation of Rs. 15 crore was made and 13 families have availed insurance benefits under this scheme and Ayushman Arogya Shivir - a monthly Health Mela is being conducted regularly.
The Governor also mentioned that under Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0, twenty-five (25) existing Anganwadi Centers were upgraded to Saksham Anganwadi under the Kiphire ICDS Project. Under Mission Vatsalya, 5 (five) District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) and 10 (ten) new Child Helpline Centers have been established across different districts. Under Mission Shakti, there are 11 (eleven) functional Sakhi Niwas (Working Women Hostel), and District Hub for Empowerment of Women is now established in 16 districts.
The Department of Women Resources Development initiated the Protection and Promotion of Tribal Designs Project that aims to promote and safeguard the rich traditional attires and modern textile designs, while under the Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North East Region (MOVCDNER), the Governor stated that our State has covered 30,500 ha area under organic cultivation and has benefitted 31,104 farmers, and our organic produces through this programme are marketed outside the State with MoUs signed with various outside companies.
The Governor pointed out that the Department of Rural Development, under MGNREGA, has generated employment at an average of 31.3 days and under the PMAY (Gramin), out of the cumulative target to construct 48,830 houses, 40.8% of the target has been completed.
The Governor mentioned that the Department of Water Resources in line with Jal Shakti Abhiyan Campaign, has successfully completed 29 Water harvesting structures/water harvesting ponds in 5 (five) districts while Soil & Water Conservation Department aims to distribute over 1,11,000 Soil Health Cards to our farmers during 2024-25 which will cover 370 villages across 16 districts.
La. Genesan stated that the fish production in the State is 9695.71 MT and under Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), the Department of Fisheries & Aquatic Resources has developed 150 hectares of water bodies while 150 farmers are being benefited under the project “Cluster based Fisheries Development & Institutionalization of FPOs” covering seven (7) districts of the State. Under the State Plan, 50 lakhs of fish seeds at subsidized rates have been supplied to all the districts in the State.
In the Public Works Department (Roads & Bridges), the Governor also informed that North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS) has completed three (3) projects under Tuensang, Longleng and Noklak districts amounting to Rs. 100.58 crore covering a total length of 35.12 Km. Under PMGSY, 5 (Five) bridges have been completed. While in the Power sector, he said to enhance the renewable generation capacity of the State, the department has constructed and commissioned a 2.4 MW Duilumroi Small Hydro Project in Peren district with a project cost of Rs. 40.29 crore.
Under the Chief Minister's Corpus Fund (CMCF), the Governor informed that for 2024-25, a significant allocation of Rs. 10.00 crore was made to foster education, entrepreneurship and skill enhancement across different sectors. From the Annual Plan 2024-2025 onwards, the State Government has decided to allocate Rs. 100.00 lakh per Assembly Constituency for implementation of iconic projects under the Local Area Development Programme. He mentioned that at present, under the North Eastern Council, there are 74 ongoing projects in various sectors at different districts/locations in the State.
The Governor also stated that the Department of Industries & Commerce has established 16 Entrepreneur Development Centres (EDCs) across 16 districts, and 6 EDCs in colleges to foster and encourage entrepreneurship from an early stage, and that the Nagaland Startup Portal is currently hosting 330 startups, leading to the creation of over 1000 jobs and have generated approximately Rs. 58 crore in turnover during the fiscal year 2023-24.
Governor Ganesan said that under the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) scheme, six (6) Technology Clinics to promote technological adoption among local MSMEs and entrepreneurs were successfully organized. A Buyers & Sellers Meet attracted 27 sellers from Nagaland and 18 buyers from across India, opening doors to new business opportunities. A one-day Exporter State Summit focused on promoting ‘Brand Nagaland’ and One District One Product (ODOP) initiatives, thereby strengthening the State's export potential, he added
The Governor also highlighted that under the Prime Minister Formalization of Micro Food Processing Enterprises (PMFME) Scheme, 304 entrepreneurs were assisted in setting up micro-food processing units. 3,793 SHGs under NULM and NSRLM were provided Seed Capital Money. The establishment of a Common Incubation Center (CIC) for food processing is also on the verge of completion at School of Agriculture Science (SAS), Nagaland University – Medziphema Campus and the Department has successfully organized the State Export Summit on 7th December 2024 at Kisama.
The Governor further declared that Nagaland State became the first North Eastern State in October 2024 to begin implementing the Biometric-Based Aadhar Authentication for GST Registration to ensure that the person behind the business entity is genuine and traceable. Under the e-Shram Portal, a National Database of Unorganized Workers (NDUW), he said a total of 2,31,533 unorganized workers have been registered so far in Nagaland. He mentioned that the Labour Department in collaboration with the Food & Civil Supplies Department organised Special Melas at all district headquarters for the issue of ration cards to all those e-Shram registrants who do not possess ration cards.
La Ganesan also informed that under the PMAY (Urban), out of 29,973 beneficiaries, 85% beneficiaries have completed house construction and the remaining 15% are at various stages of construction, while under the Rajiv Awas Yojana, Rental Housing Projects for the Urban poor has been completed in Chumoukedima town and Medziphema town.
Under the PM SVANidhi Scheme, the Governor mentioned that the Urban Development Department has helped 4595 Street Vendors avail loans enabling them to diversify their business, and a state-level tour campaign was organized with special focus on 14 ULBs. He also stated that the PWD (R&B) has handed over Urban Roads measuring about 1500 Km to Urban Development, where maintenance and upgradation works are being carried out.
The Governor said the Department of Science & Technology has successfully commissioned Nagaland Science Mission and conducted the 1st Round Table Talk on Al (Artificial Intelligence) on 26th September 2024. The Nagaland GIS & Remote Sensing Centre (NGISRSC), successfully completed the Landslide Inventory Mapping for Post Monsoon 2023 using the Satellite Integrated Landslide Assessment and Alert System in collaboration with National Remote Sensing Centre, ISRO. Using innovative R&D, the GIS developed drones capable of carrying up to 80 Kg, and long-range, high-altitude gliders with a flight time of 6 hours, facilitating large-scale mapping projects. A large-scale 3D Twin mapping of all District Headquarters in the State, enhancing urban planning and disaster management was also conducted by the Centre.
Under the Department of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, the Governor informed that the Department is implementing the Nagaland Forest Management Project, which is assisted by JICA, Government of Japan. Under this project, an Eco-Park was inaugurated on 1st December 2024. This Eco-Park is being developed along with the Kohima Peace Memorial which will serve as a testimony to close ties between Japan and India and particularly with the state of Nagaland.
The Governor also mentioned that the Nagaland Police continued its fight against drugs, seizure of various drugs and the State Excise Department during the period from April 2024 – Nov 2024 has made seizures worth more than Rs. 1.16 crore.
Governor Ganesan also stated that Nagaland hosted the 4th Edition of the Asia Music Summit in February 2024, where representatives from 13 countries participated and MoUs were signed for partnerships and collaborations aimed at creating opportunities and platforms for artists and musicians from Nagaland. A Pre-fabricated Centre for Excellence in Music & Arts (CEMA) at TaFMA, Kohima was inaugurated on 1st December 2024.
Governor Ganesan mentioned Hokato Hotozhe Sema who made history at the Paris Paralympic Games by becoming the first athlete from Nagaland to win a Paralympic medal and brought laurels to the country and the State, where he won Bronze Medal in the Athletics event of Shot Put. The Government of India has also honoured him with the prestigious Arjuna Award.
Ganesan asserted that on the birth anniversary of the legendary Dr. Talimeren Ao, on 28th January. 2025, the Nagaland Super League (NSL) will be organized in collaboration with the All-India Football Federation, the Nagaland Olympic Association and the Nagaland Football Association. The NSL will launch new avenues for the sports fraternity, promote entrepreneurship, create employment, and inculcate club culture in Nagaland and boost the sports industry.
The Governor said the 25th Edition of the Hornbill Festival witnessed one of the most successful editions with record number of events, participants, local, domestic and international tourists. The festival has grown from strength to strength impacting on the State’s economy with a money flow amounting to more than 100 crores.
(Temjenkaba, APRO, Thungbeni, APRO & Maongtemjen, IA)
