MoS Pabitra Margherita, Er Kropol Vitsu and others address a press conference in Kohima on June 16. (Morung Photo)
Assures overall development of State under NDA Government
Our Correspondent
Kohima | June 16
Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Textiles, Pabitra Margherita today assured that the Government of India, BJP and the NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi will always stand with the people of Nagaland for its overall development.
“For a state like Nagaland, the 12 years of leadership under Modi have brought unprecedented peace, connectivity, infrastructure, investment and dignity,” he maintained while addressing a press conference in Kohima in connection with the completion of "12 Years of Trust, Development and Public Welfare" under the Modi Government on June 16.
Er Kropol Vitsu, Advisor for Prisons, Printing and Stationery, Nagaland; Kuputo Shohe, Chairman of the Nagaland State Mineral Development Corporation Limited (NSMDC); and other BJP leaders were also present at the press conference.
Margherita further stated that Nagaland should become a producer and industrialised state, for which the Union Government would extend support.
Listing infrastructure and financial assistance as key requirements, he said funds should continue to flow to Nagaland.
Pointing to Nagaland's rich natural resources and vast potential in tourism and investment, he said the Union Government is exploring avenues to accelerate the state's progress and development.
Earlier, as part of the Pragati Path Yatra, the MOS visited the Naga Heritage Village, Kisama and participated in a tree plantation programme as well as addressed a Viksit Bharat Sankalp Sammelan at the BJP headquarters, Kohima.
He also visited the Handloom Market Complex at Kisama dedicated to the artisans and handloom weavers of Nagaland and reaffirmed the commitment of both the State and Union Governments to promoting textiles, art, culture and local entrepreneurs.
Lists notable achievements
Highlighting the reach of Central welfare schemes in Nagaland, Margherita said there are over 4.13 lakh Jan Dhan accounts, 7.74 lakh Ayushman cards, 1.22 lakh Ujjwala LPG connections, 3.42 lakh rural households with tap water under the Jal Jeevan Mission, more than 14 lakh beneficiaries under the PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, 1.88 lakh farmers covered under PM-KISAN, Rs 2.75 thousand crore disbursed under the Mudra Yojana, and 22 Jan Aushadhi Kendras operationalised in the state.
“These are not statistics; they are real changes in real homes across Nagaland,” he stated.
He held that from roads and railways to hospitals and medical colleges, from digital classrooms to tribal tourism circuits, and from peace dialogues to direct investment, the story of Nagaland over the past 12 years is one of a state finally receiving what it always deserved.
Nagaland’s culture and tribal heritage have been placed at the centre of the national tourism policy through dedicated schemes, he added.
Highlighting various developmental packages, the MoS said that under the North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme, 17 road projects worth Rs 900 crore and 146 other infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1,489 crore have been approved.
The UNNATI 2024 Scheme, with an outlay of Rs 10,037 crore over 10 years, will further drive industrialisation and employment generation across the North-East, including Nagaland, he said.
Margherita stated that over 1,670 km of National Highways had been constructed in Nagaland as of June 2025, while an additional 208 km of highway corridors worth Rs 2,079 crore had been approved under the Bharatmala Pariyojana.
On fiscal support, he said tax devolution to Nagaland grew by 997.72% between 2004–14 and 2014–26, while grants-in-aid increased by 154.82% during the same period.
According to him, this compares with growth rates of 584.88% and 106.38%, respectively, during the Congress-led period.
He further said that Nagaland had received Rs 79,970 crore in grants-in-aid and Rs 59,327 crore through tax devolution from the Government of India since 2014.
Beyond Finance Commission transfers, Nagaland has received Rs 7,403 crore since 2020–21 under the Special Assistance for Capital Expenditure Scheme in the form of 50-year interest-free loans, with the interest burden borne entirely by the Centre, he added.
Margherita also maintained that under PM Modi’s 12 years of leadership, the NE has moved “from the margins to the centre of India’s development story,” emerging as one of the strongest symbols of New India’s progress and confidence.
“What makes this journey even more significant for us in the North East is Prime Minister Modi’s unwavering commitment to a region that was once neglected for decades, but which he proudly recognised as Ashtalakshmi, the eight pillars of India’s growth and prosperity. This was not merely a statement, but a vision that transformed the development narrative of the North East,” he added.
