Rs 5000 crore pledge by Delhi for Frontier Nagaland Territory

Railway, trans-FNT highway, airport, seat reservation, 4-lane roads, NIIT included in Memorandum of Agreement

Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 3

The Government of India has pledged Rs 5000 crore in development package for the Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT) over ten years.  While the February 5 signing ceremony in New Delhi involving the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) and Nagaland state government for establishing the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) was a public affair, the content of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) has remained a closely guarded secret. 

As per a copy of the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), accessed by The Morung Express, the Centre has guaranteed 100 percent funding for Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) in the six ‘eastern’ districts — Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator — that makes up the FNT. 

The MoA described the yet-to-be-constituted FNTA as “a unique self-governing Territorial Authority based on the spirit of Article 371 (A)…” vested with “legislative, executive and financial powers in respect of subjects transferred to it from the State Government...” 

It outlines a roadmap for establishing an ‘Interim Council’ and the transition to an elected FNTA while detailing its composition, powers and functions.

Here is a condensed outline of the 15-page blueprint:

Financial package

•    Rs 2500 cr under various schemes of the Ministry of DoNER over a period of 10 years.

•    Rs 2500 cr from the other “line Ministries.” In this context, “line Ministries” imply the different Ministries of the Union government, other than DoNER, and the schemes they will implement over the same 10-year period.

•    For the first decade, the GoI will provide 100 percent funding for CSS in the territory.

•    A one-time Rs 75 cr grant exclusively for constructing the administrative headquarters and infrastructure for the FNTA.

Infra dole out 

It listed a Special Development Grant for infrastructure development. It includes:

•    Upgrading medical college in Mon to a regional institute

•    An engineering and management college

•    A national institute of information technology

•    A domestic airport within the FNT 

•    Trans-Eastern Frontier Highway connecting Arunachal & Manipur via FNT

•    Railway connectivity to Kiphire from Tizit

•    Construction of inter-district 4-lane roads

•    A Nagaland University campus in Wakching

Interim Council 

•    Before elections are held, an Interim Council will administer the territory for a maximum of one year

•    It will consist of not more than 13 members

•    Members will be nominated by the Governor based on recommendations from the ENPO and respective Tribal Councils.

•    Four elected representatives from the region (1 MP and 3 MLAs) will be appointed as Advisors to the Interim Council

Elected Council 

•    FNTA will be a 62-member council  

•    40 members directly elected through adult suffrage.

•    One-third of the 40 elected seats will be reserved for women.

•    The Governor will nominate 2 members from amongst the recognised tribes of FNT

•    MLAs from the FNT will be ex-officio members but without voting rights.

Administration & bureaucracy 

•    The Chief Executive Member (CEM) and Deputy CEM of the FNTA will hold the status of state Cabinet Ministers. 

•    The bureaucracy/administration will be headed by a Chief Executive Secretary, an IAS officer not below the rank of Principal Secretary.

•    An IPS officer in the rank of IGP will posted by the state government for the FNT

•    While the State will post senior officers (Grade I & II), the FNTA will retain the power to recruit Grade III and IV staff through its own selection board.

•    Grade I and II officers belonging to the ENPO bloc will get first preference for FNT postings. The State Government will retain the final authority to manage these transfers as per the existing policy.

At the February 7 civic reception of the ENPO talk team, following the signing of the MoA in Delhi on February 5, the ENPO maintained that it has not given up on the demand for a separate ‘Frontier Nagaland’ state despite the agreement. 

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the reception, ENPO President A Chingmak Chang termed the FNTA as an interim arrangement for a period of ten years.

“That (statehood) remains our demand. Today, FNTA was offered by MHA, and we have accepted it. But our demand will still continue,” Chang stated.