Vishü Rita Krocha
Kohima | December 29
In the year 2019, Nagaland has witnessed relative peace in the state and a rising trend of self-employment taking place. Among others, it also witnessed an increasing growth of the music industry and creative fields scaling greater heights.
On the overall law and order situation in the state, Chief Secretary of Nagaland, Temjen Toy said that it has improved considerably this year but then “normal crimes that we take for granted are still happening like illegal collections and all that.”
These are issues, he emphasized that need to be addressed in the coming year while putting across that “it is time that people of Nagaland start respecting the rule of law, starting from traffic rules and everything.”
In this regard, he added that the rule of law covers everything and asserted that “we need to respect the law and that does not happen with imposition, but has to come from the people themselves.”
“My only hope,” he expressed, “is that our people also realize and begin to live as responsible citizens. We look forward to the New Year that new changes for the better will happen in our state.”
Strides made in IT, self employment & the arts
Looking back on how Information Technology has fared this year, Advisor to Information Technology & Communication (IT&C), Mmhonlümo Kikon said “we have three things in place which the IT department has achieved for the state in terms of furthering e-governance and good governance.”
These, he elucidated are making applications for Common Scholarship Portal and Nagaland Public Service Commission fully online, and Nagaland Inner Line Permit (ILP) and MyGov Portal respectively.
“We would want to make every service delivery outreach programs of various department online so that access to Government services may be available at ease and e-governance be promoted on a mission mode”, he affirmed.
Meanwhile, Lezo Putsure, Director of YouthNet expressed optimism at witnessing a growth in entrepreneurship in the state.
“For me, I feel like entrepreneurship is picking up and a lot of self-employed opportunities are happening” he stated. Pfutsure added that “it is quite a positive trend that entrepreneurship and small scale activities in terms of young people striving to stand on their own feet is happening.” “Now, we just need more facilities, to kind of nurture these businesses”, he said.
For the author of ‘Campus Blues’ and ‘Sincerely Yours,’ Sentilong Ozukum, “2019 witnessed a lot of young Naga writers becoming published authors and a host of literary events taking place across different platforms.”
He felt that it was an eventful year but expressed concern that, “it is also true we are losing the battle against digital invasion as reading books is becoming a dying art in our generation.”
Academic Dr. Vizovono Elizabeth meanwhile felt that 2019 has been a very good year for literature while pointing to the rebranding of the Music Task Force (MTF) to Task Force for Music & Arts (TaFMA).
In this regard, she added, “we hope to see more initiatives aimed at promoting other forms of the arts such as literature, painting, cinema/films, drama and the like, besides music.” “In music too, it will be good to include promotion of indigenous music and not just western genres of music”, she put across.
The other highlight in the field of literature this year, she said was the Kohima Educational Trust announcing both the 1st and 2nd editions of the Gordon Graham Prize for Naga Literature in 2019. This, she said, “is very encouraging for Naga writers as they have launched this Literature Prize, specifically to recognize and reward the knowledge keepers and idea- givers of Naga society.”
