Chief Minister, Neiphiu Rio delivering the 75th Independence Day speech at Secretariat Plaza, Kohima on 15th August 2021 said commemorating the milestone and celebrating ‘AzadikaAmritMahotsav’ (nectar of freedom festival) once again reminded of all the freedom fighters whose sacrifices brought freedom to our people.
Rio stated that our nation since its birth, has been moving ahead with determination in every domain and today it has come to secure its place amongst the most important and influential nations in the world. He added that our nation still has in many respects difficult challenges but, in spite of such stiff challenges, our people had the will, and the perseverance to prevail over all obstacles, and unitedly we have all worked and marched together to take our nation to a position that we all could be now proud of.
He also said that Made in India Covid-l9 vaccines are helping dozens of countries across the world and as the world's largest democratic nation, India continues to make valuable contributions towards the progress of humanity and for the cause of-freedom on an international scale.
Rio remarked that as the country crosses the landmark of 75 years, it is an occasion to celebrate the remarkable contributions of Nagaland and Nagas in the journey of our great nation thus far. He said that decades since Statehood Nagaland evolved as a confident State and is contributing and participating member of India's nation building process. He added that our brave soldiers have fought the country's enemies and guarded our borders with courage and Valour. He further added that artists, musicians and cultural ambassadors from Nagaland have added to the vibrant diversity of the country and in the fields of public affairs, bureaucracy, judiciary, sports and the fourth estate, the citizens of Nagaland have served the country with exemplary distinction.
Rio said that as a part of this great country we continue to be in pursuit of the final solution of the Naga Political Issue, which remains as old as this nation itself. He also said that hopes have risen to a great extent as in recent years as the Naga Political Groups have been in ceasefire with the Government of India for a long time and the peace talks over the years have made significant progress. Rio also said that the Naga people sincerely appreciate the Government of India for recognizing the unique history and position of the Naga people and for acknowledging the problem as a political issue.
The Chief Minister commented that the State Government has over the past years played the role of active facilitator to the ongoing Indo-Naga political peace talks. He further said that a Parliamentary Committee on Naga Political Issue consisting of all members of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly and our two Members of Parliament was formed to give further impetus to the peace talks and help arrive at the final solution at the earliest. He added that a Core Committee was constituted to ensure a focused approach in our role as facilitator. Rio also said that the Core Committee has appealed to the negotiating parties to move forward with a positive approach of mutual respect and set aside pre-conditions in the greater interest of the people's cry for long term peace.
Rio also announced that all the elected members of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly have come together, irrespective of political party affiliations, on the Naga Political Issue and common peoples' issues. He also said that taking this spirit of collectiveness further, in the recently concluded session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, the members unanimously passed a resolution appealing to the negotiating parties on the same lines as resolved by the Core Committee.
Also on Nagaland – Assam border issue, Rio said that Nagaland have a long standing inter- state border dispute with Assam. He mentioned that the pro-active steps was taken along with Assam Government to de-escalate the situation. He added that a Select Committee of the House has also been constituted to examine all aspects of the Assam- Nagaland border issue.
Rio said that the ferocity of the second wave of the pandemic has tested our capacities and our resilience. He added that the state took preventive measures in time, and moved swiftly to augment our health infrastructure, particularly the availability of oxygen across the State, the most critical element in the fight against COVID-19. He further said that equipment were provided to Government as well as private health facilities so that sufficient oxygen supported beds including ICU and HDU beds are available to meet any emergency.
Rio lamented that despite the best efforts put in by everyone concerned there have been cases of people succumbing due to COVID-19. He further appealed to all citizens of the State to continue to observe Covid appropriate behaviour at all times and encouraged all eligible persons to take the vaccine not only for their personal interest but in the greater interest of their families and the community. He also commended all the villages which have made extra efforts to get 100% of their residents protected by taking vaccines and said that the government is hopeful that the remaining villages will also pro-actively work for getting this 100% vaccination status.
He paid tribute and extended the deepest appreciation to all the healthcare workers and frontline workers in the State and across the world, for the enormous sacrifices that they have made for the cause of humanity. While appreciating the civil society organisations, the churches, the village authorities, and all citizens of the State for the excellent cooperation during the challenging times of unavoidable lockdowns and steps to protect the citizens of the State, he also reminded that our conduct, behaviour and safety precautions will largely determine the level of impact in the event of any further future wave. Rio said “The COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdowns required to check the spread of infection, have made us realise the importance of building the skills of our people and making them self-reliant to earn their livelihoods. The Government has, therefore, focused on strengthening of Agri and allied sector, skills and service sector and trade and commerce with the four key objectives namely, self-reliance, re-skilling, gainful employment and facilitation” .
Rio congratulated the Indian contingent at the recently concluded Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games for a remarkable performance and said that our girls and boys of Team India came back with a record haul of medals and the achievement of Neeraj Chopra has inspired the country. He said that the performance of the hockey teams and all the other medal winners has brought joy and happiness to more than a billion Indians and lifted the mood of the entire nation.
Rio urged one and all to take a pledge to re-dedicate ourselves to work sincerely for bringing positive developments in all those areas where we are still lagging behind. Rio, on the occasion of the country's Independence Day, called upon all citizens of the State and to all Indians across the globe to make positive contributions towards the progress of humanity everywhere.
(Esuihangle&Morotsung)
