11th SESSION OF 13th NAGALAND LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY

Governor highlights achievement of Nagaland govt in various sectors

Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 19

Nagaland Governor Prof Jagdish Mukhi today maintained that the state government has made significant achievements and is making progress in several sectors.

“This brings out the commitment of my Government for the all-round development of the state. However, much remains to be done for which the cooperation and contribution of everyone is solicited so that we keep moving steadfastly to make our state one of the most developed and prosperous states of the country,” Prof Mukhi said in his address on the first day of 11th session of 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) here today.

Agriculture: Agriculture sector remains the mainstay of the state’s economy with major contributions to the state’s GSDP. Due to drought situation during 2021, the production from the Agri & Allied activities was however, reduced to a great extent. The Agri & Allied Departments made necessary interventions for alleviating the hardships faced by the farmers.

The Agriculture Department has been further emphasizing more on organic farming not only to get premium price for the farmers but also to provide healthy and nutritious food.

The department has certified 13000 hectare under organic certification to get premium price for the farmers, with the Organic AC Market in Dimapur under Nagaland State Agriculture Marketing Board facilitating marketing of 230.00 metric tonne of organic food products till date.

The newly constructed District Agriculture Office at Tuensang was inaugurated on February 8, 2022, and will help in better delivery of services by the department.
 
Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Service: Three Model Piggery Farms at an estimated cost of Rs 300.00 lakh are being set up by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary service with funding from NABARD to produce piglets for enhancing finisher pig.

Similarly, to develop other species of livestock, the Department under Rashtriya Gokul Mission has established one Gokul Gram on Mithun at Jotsoma Village Community Reserved Forest. The facility has a capacity for production of upto 200 Pure Naga Mithun (Male line). Further, one Community Thotho Cattle Farm at Kidima village has been established having a capacity of 200 Indigenous Thotho.

Fisheries & Aquatic Resources: The Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources have implemented various successful schemes and programs vertically and horizontally to develop fisheries in the state. The department envisages local production of about 9,150 metric tonne during the year 2021-22 and in addition, a bulk quantity of 3,700 metric tonne fish is being supplemented from outside the state to meet the demand of fish consumption.
 
Sericulture: During the year 2021-22, an area of 1,000 acre of land has been taken up for cultivation of Silkworm host plants and silkworm rearing activities under both state and Centrally sponsored Schemes like the Farmers Development Programme, Farmers Double Income and Silk Samagra project.
 
Soil & Water Conservation: The Department of Soil & Water Conservation has taken initiatives to set up several soil testing labs which are the stepping stone to ensure soil health and better, more productive agricultural practices.
To address the farmers’ need and to know their soil status, State Soil Testing Laboratory at Kohima was inaugurated by Kishan Reddy, Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and DoNER, GoI on September 24, 2021. To meet the high volume of soil sample analysis, full-fledged Soil Testing Laboratories have been established in all the districts.
 
Rural Development: The Department of Rural Development under MGNREGS during 2021-22, received a total of Rs 46932.37 lakh with the Central share being Rs 42575.09 lakh against a total of 8,596 works/projects.
A total of 4.54 lakh job cards have been issued and 7.49 lakh workers registered. In 2021-22, a total of 139.36 lakh person days employment was generated. Under PMAY-G, for the year 2022-23, an amount of Rs 1740.67 lakh as Centre’s share and Rs. 193.32 lakh as state share have been earmarked with a target to construct 5,900 houses in the state.
 
DUDA: The Department of Underdeveloped Areas (DUDA) continues to provide impetus to the pace of development in the backward districts of Eastern Nagaland and pockets of backward areas in the State.
The Department has taken various initiatives for construction of roads, playground, rest houses, community hall, community fishery pond, library etc. in these areas. Under livelihood sector and skill development, initiatives have been taken for creating Anghya marketing network, arranging culinary skill training and procurement & marketing of products from SHGs.
The Department launched the Mongken Apparel and Home furnishing production at Dimapur in September 2021. Under Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana programme under TRIFED, the Department is partnering with Tribes India for joint retail network and marketing of local products.
 
Environment, Forests & Climate Change: To meet the objectives of improving and enhancing forest cover in the state for providing ecosystem services, promote sustainable and efficient use of forest resources, addressing climate change concerns and to generate awareness on conservation, the Department of Environment, Forests & Climate Change is implementing various programmes and activities.

The State Forest Development Agency under the National Afforestation Programme (NAP) has brought an area of 63,933 hectare covering 1,161 villages under afforestation.

The Department is implementing the Nagaland Forest Management project, which is an Externally Aided project funded by JICA, Government of Japan.  The project has so far covered 91 villages across the state in two batches. The Department is implementing another Externally Aided Project, under Indo – German Financial Cooperation from KfW, Germany called “Forest & Biodiversity Management in the Himalaya, Nagaland” for conservation of bio-diversity rich areas and livelihood improvement.
 
School Education: The Department of School Education (DoSE) has conducted the ‘Online Tele/Radio Educational Broadcast’ for the benefit of all students across the state during the lockdown period.

DoSE developed the ‘Nagaland Education Management and Information System’ to monitor functioning of all types of schools including child tracking across the state on a real time basis. The department conducted an ‘Online Certification Programme for Teachers in COVID Responsiveness’ in association with the Administrative Staff College of India, Hyderabad and nearly 2,000 teachers from both government and private schools successfully completed the course.

The implementation of the ‘National Education Policy 2020’commenced in a phased manner from the later part of the year 2020 and the state has made appreciable progress in the current year 2021.

DoSE is implementing the World Bank assisted Project, ‘The Nagaland Education Project – The Lighthouse’ since April 2021.

Implementation of the Project will bring improvement on State School Governance Index, improvement in teaching and enhancement of overall learning environment in government schools, the Governor said.

He also stated that with the implementation of National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, the State Government has designated the SCERT as the nodal agency for development of the State Curriculum Framework (SCF) in line with the NEP 2020.

For this purpose, 25 preliminary focus groups were constituted on May 20, 2021. They have recently submitted position papers covering the various subject areas identified by NCERT.
 
Higher & Technical Education: The Department of Higher and Technical Education through the centrally sponsored scheme of RUSA is constructing among others one Professional College of Music & Fine Arts at Tsiesema, Kohima, one Engineering College at Tzurangsa, Mokokchung and one New Model Degree College at Tzupaksa, Mokokchung.

In making quality assurance an integral part of the functioning of higher education institutions, the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) has successfully accredited 31 out of 67 colleges in Nagaland and more colleges are in the pipeline for accreditation.

The National Board of Accreditation (NBA) New Delhi has in respect of Khelhoshe Polytechnic Atoizu for the academic years 2021-22 to 2023-2024 approved the accreditation status for Civil Engineering, Electrical& Electronics Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programs.

Academic Session to the newly established Government Polytechnic Aboi, Mon, has started from the year 2021-22 with Civil Engineering Course with an intake capacity of 30 students.
 
Food & Civil Supplies: The Department of Food & Civil Supplies achieved 100% online allocation and 100% Supply Chain Management i.e. from generation of indent to FCI for lifting of food grains till the distribution of food grains at Fair Price Shop Level using ePoS devices.

As on February 9, 2022, the Aadhaar seeding status is 94.74% for the NFSA Ration Cards.

The Department successfully implemented Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) Scheme- PMGKAY-I, II, III and IV to 14.03 Lakhs beneficiaries in the State. Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) Scheme- PMGKAY-V (Dec’ 2021 to March’ 2022) is ongoing.
 
Geology & Mining: The Department of Geology and Mining undertakes exploration of mineral resources of the state. The Department has issued 15 Coal Mining Leases, 12 Coal Prospecting Licenses and 6 Coal Depot Licenses to various firms.

Under Regional Coal Exploration programme, exploration of an area covering 13.7 sq.km in Changki Block has been completed with an estimated deposit of 148.86 MMT.  Exploration of limestone in Salumi Block, Kiphire District covering an area of 0.79 sq.km has also been completed with estimated deposits of 7.59 MMT.

The Department has also carried out geological mapping of Nickel-Cobalt-Chromium-Magnetite in Mollen-Jopi-Ziphu areas of 103 sq.km under Phek District.
 
Industries & Commerce: The Department of Industries & Commerce has set up six clusters, and 550 artisans have been trained, at Longwa, Pfutsero, Longleng, Gathashi, Jalukie and Tuli at a project cost of Rs 526.53 lakh. Under MSME, during 2020-21, the department has been accorded sanction for five Developmental Projects at a total cost of Rs 40.63 crore.
 
Information & Public Relations: The Department of Information & Public Relations through the Nagaland Journalists’ Operational Subsidy provides journalists with less than five years’ experience Rs. 4000 monthly, and Rs. 6000 monthly to those with more than five years’ experience. As on June 2021, there are 52 State Accredited Journalists. The Department also launched its Mobile App ‘DIPR Nagaland’ on 1st December 2021.
 
Information Technology & Communication: In addition to the development and implementation of the Online ILP module in consultation with the Home department, the Department of Information Technology and Communication continues to maintain Online Platform for State Scholarships through which 1,01,009 scholarship applications have been processed till date. The Department has launched various e-Services for Scheduled Tribe Certificate, Backward Tribe Certificate, Birth & Death Certificate, NPSC Exam Application through the e-District Platform.
 
Labour & Employment, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship: The Department of Labour and Employment, Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, along with the rest of the country, is creating a database of unorganized workers through a single window portal known as e-SHRAM.

“Our state in a short span of 4(four) months had registered around 1,96,627 Unorganized Workers on the portal. The platform would also be helpful in delivering and improving the implementation efficiency of various social security and welfare schemes,” Governor said.
 
Legal Metrology & Consumer Protection: The Legal Metrology & Consumer Protection Department conducted the verification, stamping, and inspection of weights, measures, and weighing and measuring instruments used by traders, vendors, and Government Departments in the State as per  the Legal Metrology Act & Rules.
 
Kohima Smart City: The Governor said that the Kohima Smart City Mission under the Municipal Affairs Department is focussed on redevelopment of Kohima city into a better planned city through the application of smart solutions.

Among the many completed projects of Kohima Smart City Development Ltd, some are beautification of Kohima Town Phase-I for Rs 15.70 crore, Capital Cultural Hall for Rs 35.85 crore and Pedestrian Space for Rs 5.16 crore. The interventions by smart city have also brought in accolades and awards to Kohima under various categories.
 
Public Health Engineering: The Department of Public Health Engineering under the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) has provided 222 habitations with 100% Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTC).

Further, it is planned to cover a total of 513 habitations with drinking water supply under JJM during 2022-23. A total of 1,48,835 FHTC have been provided in the State till date out of the 3,77,286 rural households in the State.

The Department has further initiated Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen) Phase –II (ODF Plus) from the FY 2020-21 and this will continue till FY 2023-24, wherein more emphasis will be made on access to safe toilet, sanitary complexes, solid waste disposal systems and grey water management in the rural areas in addition to retrofitting of rural toilets and sanitary complexes to achieve ODF Plus status in rural villages.
 
Nagaland GIS and Remote Sensing Centre: A Plan of Action on use of Space Technology for the State of Nagaland has been prepared by the Nagaland GIS and Remote Sensing Centre in consultation with North Eastern Space Application Centre, ISRO and the Ministry of DoNER.

Altogether, 21 projects have been finalized to be implemented from 2021-22 to 2023-24 at a cost of Rs. 475.63 lakh.

Recognizing that focus of future employment generation cannot be in the Government Sector but in the organized and un-organised private sector, the State Government is facilitating self-employment through its various self-employment and capacity building programmes under the Employment Generation Fund.

The main aim of the programme is to facilitate generation of sustainable income to unemployed youth of the state.

During the year 2021-22, Rs. 7.00 crore was allocated under Chief Minister Corpus Fund and 47 (forty-seven) tractors with accessories were distributed to the farmers. Further financial assistance was provided to 80 entrepreneurs for self-employment in saw mill, hardware shop, mechanized furniture unit, garment shop, pharmacy, grocery shop, stone crusher, etc. 18 Naga students have been sponsored for studying at Netaji Subash Chandra Sainik School run by Lokseva Trust at Pune.
 
IDAN: Under the aegis of Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland, an MoU was signed with GiZ and Dhriiti on September 10, 2021 to create an ecosystem for women entrepreneurs in Nagaland. A Five Days conclave was held in the month of February, 2022 for promotion of ecosystem for Women entrepreneurs of the State. An e-commerce platform known as Yellow Chain was created for the local entrepreneurs to facilitate online business transaction. In collaboration with Invest India, efforts are being made to facilitate and promote an ecosystem for investment in the State.

An Export Facilitation Cell has been set up in IDAN with the help of Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT) in the month of November, 2021 to train local entrepreneurs to avail of export opportunities. 
 
Power: The Department of Power under NERPSIP Tranche-I, took up construction of 132/33kV, 25 MVA transformer at Wokha and 11 other projects, which were commissioned on January 18, 2022. These will improve supply of power to the areas.

With the objective to reduce expenditure from power purchase, enhance renewable energy generation in line with the Government of India’s policy for renewable capacity addition, the Department of Power has proposed four sustainable projects. These projects aggregate to a total installed capacity of 12.9 MW and are expected to generate a total annual energy of 38.41Million Units. During 2021-22, an amount of Rs 10.00 crore was sanctioned by the Government under Special Assistance Fund for installation of 10,000 prepaid Meters in Dimapur.

With this, the AT&C loss is expected to be brought down to 20% in the targeted area of Dimapur. Installation of prepaid meters will also reduce power theft and ensure stable power supply. The Department has also signed a power purchase agreement for sourcing power from the 20 MW Solar Power Plant coming up at Ganeshnagar in Chümoukedima district in the private sector.
 
Science & Technology: The Department of Science & Technology has completed the construction of a 50-seater Digital Planetarium and an Innovation Hub at S&T Complex, Kohima. The Department has also carried out necessary repair and renovation works at the Nagaland Science Centre, Planetarium and Innovation Hub, Dimapur.
 
Art & Culture: The Department of Art and Culture took an important step towards preserving our culture and traditions by completing the first ever compilation and documentation of Naga Customary Practices and Usages in collaboration with the Anthropological Society of Nagaland. The Department also took laudable initiative to prepare and release the Anglo-Lotha Dictionary, which is the first of its kind in Nagaland to use the International Alphabet Phonetics.
 
Tribal Affairs: The Tribal Affairs Department has completed the selection of sites for 11 (eleven) EMR School across the State for the year 2021-22. The Schools have been sanctioned at a cost of Rs. 26 crore each by Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.
 
Minority Affairs: The Minority Affairs cell under the Department of Planning and Coordination is overseeing 9(nine) ongoing projects under Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram with one major project, the Health Care Centre at Vihokhu, Nuiland. One of the projects, Sadbhav Mandap( common service centre) has been completed and inaugurated in 2021.
 
Urban Development: The Urban Development Department is implementing various Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) flagship programmes of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).Under AMRUT, a CSS program, with the main objective to provide basic infrastructure to urban poor, Kohima and Dimapur are covered. The GoI has recently launched AMRUT 2.0 with the main objective to make all cities/towns ‘Water Secure” and it is proposed to cover all the 39 ULBs in the State with a total allocation of Rs.175 crore.

Under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban (SBM-U), construction of individual toilets/community toilets, waste management and IEC have been taken up. It is implemented in 19 ULBs in Nagaland through Municipal and Town Council. The Department is in the process of launching a project, financed through the Asian Development Bank for taking up various infrastructure works in all the District Headquarters.
 
Women Resource Development:  The Department of Women Resource Development has been able to train 250 women farmers in four districts on Post-Harvest Management of Resources, Soft Skills, Marketing and Menstrual Health Management as part of convergence programme with the Department of Employment, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship under the Community Based Skill Development Programme for Women (SANKALP Project).
 
PWD: The Nagaland PWD(NH) looks after 1095.73 km of the National Highways in the State out of the total of 1507.88 Km. At present, 78.00 km of widening to 2-lane in Mokokchung  and Wokha sector of NH 2 is in progress and widening works for 24 km in the same sector will start soon.

In addition, strengthening of existing pavement for about 50.00 km on NH 2, NH 202 & NH 702A are in good progress. Works for 59.00 km for widening and strengthening of various stretches of the National Highways shall start at the earliest.

The PWD(R&B) undertakes Roads and Bridge projects in the State under various Centrally Sponsored Schemes and State Schemes besides maintenance of the existing roads.

Three out of seven roads covering a length of 37.18 km funded under NESIDS have been completed. Six road projects covering 62.35 km under Special Assistance to States for Capital Expenditure have also been completed. During 2021-22, works under PMGSY, MORTH, MDoNER, NEC and State Programmes are in progress.

The PWD (Housing) could complete a good number of Housing Projects during the year. The Staff Quarters at Dwarka, New Delhi, and the 11 Ministers’ quarters at Thizama have been inaugurated during 2021. Some completed projects include Deputy Speaker’s Quarter, Staff Housing Project at Kohima and Jogger’s Park, Kohima.
 
Youth Resources & Sports: As a part of the endeavour to scale-up the state’s existing sports facilities up to world standard level, the Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima has been designated as Khelo India State Centre of Excellence (KISCE) in three disciplines, namely, Wrestling, Archery and Boxing.

Under Khelo India Centre (KIC), the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (India) has approved opening of 19 KICs in 11 Districts of Nagaland for various disciplines like Football, Shooting, Badminton, Table Tennis, Archery and Hockey.

‘Catch Them Young Tournament’ (District & State Level), State Level Indigenous Games, Youth Festival (District level) were also conducted by the Department of Youth Resources and Sports.

To give platform to the Naga youth to improve and showcase their musical talents many activities and events were held under the aegis of Task force for Music & Arts (TaFMA).

The first batch of beneficiaries of the Chief Minister’s Scholarship for Music 2021, have been sent to undergo a three-month customised professional course in music to KM Music Conservatory, Chennai Tamil Nadu. Under infrastructure works, the State’s 1st Regional Centre for Sporting Excellence (RCSE) for Archery, Shooting discipline, Adventure & Motor Sports and Futsal at Sovima was inaugurated by CM of Nagaland on January 27, 2022.
 
Nagaland SDG Vision 2030: The state has set ambitious targets for inclusive development within the State and has already formulated its Sustainable Development Goals Vision 2030 document. ‘Nagaland SDG Vision 2030: Leaving No One Behind’ was launched in August 2021. It has been prepared through a participatory approach to create a holistic pathway for the inclusive development of Nagaland, Governor said.

He said the Regional Response Centre (RRC), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) have occupied its site at Chiechama, Kohima district in the land of Department of Fire & Emergency Services. This RRC, NDRF will respond to any type of disaster and the state becomes safer by having this RRC in the state.

Towards strengthening administration of justice in the state, the District Jail at Longleng was inaugurated through the Prison department on November 18, 2021.