As highlighted by the Rural Development Department, Government of Nagaland the resolutions adopted during the recent Village Development Boards (VDBs) Conference of Kohima District held on 20th February 2012 is indeed welcome and all the concerned stakeholders must uphold and implement them with all sincerity and seriousness. Also the issues covered in the resolution, they are all very relevant for our local Naga context and therefore similar resolve can also be adopted by other districts. In fact more attention needs to be given to build up our grass root institutions so that our VDBs and the development model of communitization can acquire its full potential as engines of growth in the rural sector. While no doubt both VDB & Communitization are successful names both at the national and international level, the government and the people of the State will have to ensure that the two popular models of development do not become mere brands and fall into disuse. That would be a tragedy. What is therefore required is not just having a namesake but a people centered agenda—like the one resolved during the just concluded Kohima district VDB conference.
Obviously peace in our society and protecting our environment are two agendas rightly recognized as priority in the resolution adopted. As resolved, it is very important for people to strive towards maintaining peace, harmony and tranquility in their respective villages and also with each other. But we should also not forget to live in peace with our neighbors and other Naga tribes. And perhaps the resolution should have included at least a point wherein a mention could have been made “to promote and foster common interest”. For instance all of us know that several development related work (like water supply) for the State Capital Kohima has remained stalled due to such problems as landownership, inter-village rivalry etc. For development and peace to happen, we need to sacrifice our self interest of my tribe or my village to the larger cause of my Naga land.
Coming back to the resolutions adopted, it is good to know that our villages are aware about the inflow of illegal immigrants from outside. As such the resolution, that it shall “strive to promote dignity of labour and advocate self-reliance even as we endeavour to arrest urban migration”, this is indeed something that should be welcomed. Then the concern about corruption and the governance deficit is also something that needs to be addressed even at the grass root level. One of the Ministers while inaugurating a new RD Block has lamented that corruption begins at the grass root level by village developmental board (VDB) and arguing that VDB schemes are not implemented judiciously. So perhaps this is something for the institution of the VDB and those who run its affairs to take seriously. And hopefully the pledge that the VDBs “shall honestly and judiciously utilize all public funds for the development and welfare of our people in our respective villages”, this will not just remain a promise on paper but will be followed in practice as well. As mentioned earlier, while there is much fanfare about grass root models such as the Village Development Boards (VDBs) or the communitization model in general, it becomes equally imperative to further improve on the functioning of these institutions. We cannot remain complacent on the past achievements or on the brand name alone. If we are proud of these institutions then we should also be equally concerned about their utility and relevance for development objectives in the present and future.
