Our Correspondent
Kohima | March 22
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today made an appeal to the people of the state to rededicate themselves to the cause of unity, oneness, understanding and true peace.
In budget speech at the ongoing 11th session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) here today, Rio said that for the past several decades, the Indo-Naga political imbroglio has been one of the central issues that has deeply impacted all aspects of Naga society.
“Generations have grown up under the shadow of violence, political instability, and insurgency. Every family has felt the pain of the blood and tears shed. The political movement has created social turmoil, developmental deficits and enormous hurdles for us, particularly the youth, by restricting them in their quest to realize their aspirations,” Rio said.
The CM said that the younger generation has been greatly challenged as they have been denied equal opportunities with their counterparts in the rest of the country and other parts of the world.
Over the decades, he said, entire Naga society has suffered and felt the deep impact of a political movement that has stunted our growth and held back our youth.
“How long can we permit such a scenario to continue? We must make every possible effort to resolve the political imbroglio and create an environment that is conducive to economic growth with all round human development. This can only be achieved if we have genuine peace. We must not allow the political issue to remain unresolved for the sake of the present and the future generations,” Rio said.
The Naga people must be given the opportunity to flourish and grow, and in doing so, increase our contribution to the nation building process, he added.
Indo-Naga political issue
At the top of the state government’s agenda is the early resolution of the Indo-Naga political issue, he said adding that the state government have undertaken several steps and measures in its role as facilitator of the peace process. “The House has passed a number of resolutions over the years. Resolutions have also been passed during consultative meetings with civil society organisations and others. Consultative meetings were held with all stakeholders on 15th October, 2021 and again on 9th March, 2022. Recently, all the political parties represented in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly have all come together to form the UDA on September 18, 2021. Now all the 60 Members of this august House are united with the single objective of working for a solution to the Naga issue,” Rio said.
“I reiterate the cry of the Naga people and the voice of the masses through the floor of this august House to the Government of India and the various Naga political groups to actively work for a settlement that is honourable, just, and acceptable to the people, Rio said adding that without genuine peace, there cannot be human progress, and neither can attract the much-needed investment that is necessary to promote economic growth.
While appreciating the constant contributions of the mass based Civil Societies, Tribal Hohos, Church organisations and NGOs in our search for peace, Rio once again appealed all sections to rededicate ourselves to the cause of unity, oneness, understanding and true peace.
Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative
Rio today said that with a view to further facilitate credit flow to our hard-working farmers and young entrepreneurs, he intended to introduce the “Chief Minister’s Micro Finance Initiative” during the year.
“The scheme will make credit more affordable and available to individuals, Self Help Groups and Farmer Producer Organisations. In order to do so, Government will provide for either subsidy or interest subvention against identified activities in the agriculture & allied sector including for processing units, handicrafts and small-scale manufacturing units. Additional interest subvention over and above what is being provided in the existing Central Government schemes will be provided,” Rio said and hoped that such scheme would increase farmers’ incomes, promote credit discipline, encourage private enterprise and improve the agri marketing network and infrastructure in the state.
As a part of this initiative to promote the agri and allied sector, Rio proposed to remove the stamp duty on crop loans to be notified shortly.
“The selection of the beneficiaries will be through the District Level Selection Committees and wherever required, the Village Councils shall act as the guarantor.
The detailed framework of the scheme shall be notified separately, he said adding that an amount of Rs. 65 crore is earmarked for this scheme.
Power sector in Nagaland
The CM today said that Nagaland is a power deficient state and have to purchase power from outside.
“In today’s world, power is essential for all human activities - be it at home, office, and industrial and business activities. Keeping this in mind, we have provided an outlay of Rs. 18.03 crore to the power sector with special emphasis on projects aimed at exploiting the potential for generation of power in the state, Rio said in his budget speech.
He informed that funds have been provided for completion of Ponglefo and Tehok hydroelectric projects.
The government have also obtained clearance for hydro-power projects for 24 MW at Zungki and 42 MW at Lower Tizu for funding by ADB and expect these to fructify during the year.
“We are also taking up for external aid funding of the 24 MW Hydro power project at Tizu Valley during the year. Land owner issues have been resolved for the proposed186 MW hydro power project at Dikhu and activities will start very soon. We shall not only become self-sufficient in power but will also be in a position to export surplus power and earn revenue once these projects materialize,” Rio said.
As per the Power Policy of 2018, Rio said, we are also encouraging private sector participation in power generation, and the State Government has given clearance for a 21 MW hydro power project at Hakchang village in Tuensang district and 27 MW thermal project at Tuli, which are expected to be operational during 2022-23.
Rio also informed that in its continuous efforts at promoting renewable energy, he also provided funds to set up a 5 MW solar plant under the Department of New and Renewable Energy.
In the private sector, we are expecting the 20 MW solar power project in Ganeshnagar to be fully operational during the year. The New and Renewable Energy sector has also been provided Rs. 2 crore for solar street lights and core activities. Rs. 50 lakh has been provided to the Electrical Inspectorate for Green Village Initiative, Rio said in his budget presentation for the year 2022-23.
Revenue collection registers increase
Rio said that the total provision for power purchase during the current year stands at Rs. 461.62 crore.
“Our costs of power purchase have increased from Rs. 296.97 crore during 2017-18 to an estimated figure of Rs. 459.47 crore during 2021-22. The revenue gap, i.e., the cost of power purchase minus the revenue collected has also increased from Rs. 169.08 crore during 2017-18 to Rs. 279.60 crore during 2020-21,” Rio said,
He, however, said that the department has through sustained efforts managed to reduce it to Rs. 266.47 crore in RE 2021-22, and efforts will continue to further reduce this gap in the coming years.
These huge shortfalls in revenue collection are mainly on account of power theft and non-payment of bills, he said adding “We have been meeting the gap through our budgetary provisions, which is not affordable for a resource constrained state in the long run.”
To put a check on power theft, he said, the Power Department has recently started a drive against illegal power tapping and disconnection of lines for non-payment.
The Department is also implementing pre-paid metering in a phased manner.
He expressed happiness that there is an improvement in the revenue collection of the Power Department, and during the current financial year the revenue is expected to cross Rs. 200 crore.
“I am hopeful that with cooperation of all stakeholders, and sustained efforts of the department, the gap between power purchase and power revenues will narrow down,” Rio said.
Sports, youth empowerment
Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio today said that in the past couple of years, the state government have taken significant steps in its endeavour to promote and develop sports and games in the state.
In the same spirit, the Department of Sports and Youth Services have been provided Rs. 8.75 crore for capacity building of youth, for activities of the Task Force on Music and Arts, for Hornbill Festival related activities and for various sports activities. As committed in our manifesto, Rio said in his budget presentation for the year 2022-23.
Rio informed that the state government have launched the country’s first ever Police Sports Battalion on 12th November 2021, which has been well appreciated in the rest of the country.
“I will explore avenues of funding for completing the Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex at Dimapur so that we are ready to host national and regional games,” Rio said.
Rio informed that Nagaland will be hosting South Asian Cross Country Championships on March 26, 2022, being hosted by India with Kohima as the host city.
Athletes and officials from all over South Asia and every State and Union Territory of the Indian Union will be participating.
This will be a landmark event for our state, Rio said.
In April 2022, we will also be conducting the next edition of the Nagaland Olympics where sportspersons and youth from every corner of Nagaland will exhibit their talents and strive towards reaching the highest standards, he said adding that the government shall also be organizing the Dr. T. Ao Tournament at Mokokchung during April 2022.
He informed that the state-of-the-art office complex of the Nagaland Olympic Association, the first in the North East and amongst the best in the country, has been inaugurated in Kohima.
“Our sportspersons are beginning to win medals at national and international events and in order to further enhance their performances,” he said and further announced that the state government will be introducing a new scheme called Target Champion Scheme (TACS) where talents will be spotted and scholarships for training and development will be given for specific periods of time to ensure that we produce champions at the highest levels of sport.
Sports Academies and Centres of Excellence will be developed in selected prioritized sports disciplines with the collaboration of the State Sports Associations and the Olympic body, he said.
Nagaland will also participate in the North East Olympics in Shillong, Meghalaya and the forthcoming National Games.
Task Force for Music & Arts
Rio commended that the Task Force for Music & Arts (TAFMA) has been doing commendable work and will launch Hornbill on Tour during the year.
“This will take Nagaland’s most well-known intellectual property - the Hornbill Festival, to different parts of the country and beyond. In the later part of this year, a new Centre of Excellence for Music & Arts will be inaugurated in the State capital where art, innovation and creativity will thrive, enabling us to propel our youth towards international standards,” he said.
‘Govt to empower youth’
“We are making tireless efforts to empower the youth in multiple sectors with the vision to ensure that our children reach the highest standards,” Rio said.
The Chief Minister’s grant for journalists, academic researchers and young leaderships program could not be implemented due to the pandemic restrictions but we are now prepared to launch them during the coming months, he said.
Rio said that the state government have implemented the Chief Minister’s Music & Arts Scholarships and the Master Art Residencies are underway.
“We are soon going to launch a collaborative program with the Indian Navy for empowerment of our students, creation of career opportunities and to ensure that the activities of our youth come closer to the mainstream and play a positive role in the process of national integration and unity,” Rio said.
Stating that youth are our future, Rio assured the youngsters in every part of the state that the government would continue to invest in them “because we believe in them, and care for their future.”
