Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on
Friday greeted the people on 61st Statehood Day and reiterated his government’s
strong commitment to facilitate for a peaceful resolution of the long pending
Naga political issue.
Nagaland was created as the 16th State
of the Union of India and as the second State of the North East Region after
being bifurcated from Assam on December 1, 1963.
Participating in the Statehood Day
celebrations at the Civil Secretariat here, Rio called upon all Naga political
groups, the Government of India, and other stakeholders to find ways of
overcoming their remaining differences, and to arrive at a peaceful and early
resolution of the Naga issue.
“As we come together to celebrate 60
years of our statehood, let us also reflect on the beautiful and eventful
journey we have made so far, on the resilience of our society and our
collective efforts that have taken us to what we are today”, he said.
Maintaining that the six decades of
Nagaland statehood have been marked by both challenges and triumphs, he said, “The
obstacles and adversities we faced on the way had tested the indomitable spirit
of the people, making the State stronger, wiser and more united.”
It is our collective responsibility to
carry this legacy forward, and to foster a sense of belonging and pride in
being the citizens of our Nagaland state, the CM said.
“While making all efforts to continue
marching on the path of development and progress, we continue to give top most
priority to the peaceful resolution of the Naga Political Issue (NPI), which
has been the innermost desire of our people for a very long time,” he said.
The CM also reminded that the prime need
of the hour is unity, and that everyone should renew and strengthen the bonds of
unity and brotherhood.
He also remarked that due to some
historical and geographical factors, there is still less socio-economic and
infrastructure development in the Eastern Nagaland region, as compared to the
rest of the State.
“We have done a lot, but much more
remains to be done. Let me assure the people of Eastern Nagaland that both the
Central and state governments are keen and committed, not only to continue
these special measures but to do even more,” he said.
While the Eastern Nagaland people are in
dialogue with the Central government demanding a separate statehood, Rio
appealed to them to “Commit to resolve any grievances through dialogue and
understanding in the true spirit of Naga brotherhood.”
On the developmental front, Rio said one
of the most significant events during the 60th year of Statehood was the
inauguration of the first-ever medical college – Nagaland Institute of Medical
Sciences & Research (NIMSR) at Kohima on October 14.
A significant development in the area of
urban administration is the passing of a new Nagaland Municipal Act, 2023, he
said.
Maintaining that around 70 per cent of
the people in the state are still directly or indirectly dependent on
agricultural and allied activities, Rio said the State is working to introduce
new technology in the agriculture sector through the integration of emerging
technologies like artificial intelligence and drones to provide farmers with
valuable insights and guidance for informed decision making.
The CM said with the increasing use of
drugs in the State, ‘War on Drugs’ has been launched by the Police and related
departments to combat drug menace. An Anti-Narcotics Task Force has been set up
in all the districts and concerted efforts have been made to disrupt the drug
networks, he said.
Rio also invited the Church and all the
civil society organizations to join the government in this challenging fight
against drugs.
“We have completed 60 years of our
statehood, during which we have indeed taken enormous strides. Our economy
needs to be broad-based and grow multi-dimensionally, to create more employment
opportunities, and better quality of life for our people as a whole. We need to
invest more in human resource development so that our youth is equipped with
the latest skills and knowledge in this fast-changing world,” Rio said.
The CM launched the Nagaland School
Safety Digital Training and also released a book on Nagaland Disaster Reduction
Road Map brought out by the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority.
Apart from this, CM Rio inaugurated the
photo exhibition on ‘60 years of Nagaland’ set up by the Directorate of
Information and Public Relations.
PTI
