Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla outlined Nagaland’s progress in health, infrastructure, agriculture and start-ups during his address to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly.
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KOHIMA — Under the Chief Minister Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS) for employees and pensioners, which provides insurance coverage of INR 20 lakh per family, total claim payouts since inception have reached approximately INR 171 crore, benefiting around 29,500 individuals.
This was stated by Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in his address during the eighth session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Monday at NLA complex in Kohima.
The governor further stated that under the CMHIS general category scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), which provides insurance coverage of INR 5 lakh per family, combined claim payouts have exceeded INR 218 crore, benefiting more than 81,000 individuals since inception.
To strengthen the state drug regulatory mechanism, he said that Nagaland has been integrated into the National Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI) and the Materiovigilance Programme of India (MvPI) network.
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Highlighting social welfare initiatives, Bhalla said that under Mission Shakti through the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), implemented by the Social Welfare department, over 6,800 beneficiaries received cash incentives through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) during FY 2025–26.
On drinking water coverage, he stated that the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department under the Jal Jeevan Mission has provided more than 3.41 lakh Functional Household Tap Connections (FHTCs), raising coverage to about 94% in the state.
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Over 1,100 villages and habitations have achieved 100% FHTC coverage, of which 806 have been declared “Har Ghar Jal” villages.
The governor informed that the Tribal Affairs department, under the Pradhan Mantri Aadi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY), has selected 530 villages for development projects, with more than 300 projects completed so far.
Under the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DA-JGUA), 74 blocks and 608 villages in the State will be covered.
Under PM-KISAN, as of January 31, 2026, a total of 2,38,174 farmers have benefited, with INR 770.05 crore transferred directly to their bank accounts through DBT.
Horticulture and allied sectors
Bhalla said that under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH) 2025–26, the state has received an allocation of INR 38.88 crore for area expansion and other horticulture interventions.
An area of 125 hectares is proposed to be covered for golden kiwifruit cultivation in seven villages under the Horticulture Model Village initiative.
Under the National Livestock Mission (Entrepreneurship Development Programme), the department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services facilitated 78 pig breeding farms during 2025–26, resulting in the production of over 14,500 piglets for breeding and more than 1,160 tonnes of meat.
The department of Soil and Water Conservation has developed 73 water harvesting ponds across Nagaland and established three nurseries under the RKVY scheme to enhance water conservation and produce quality planting material.
The department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has carried out plantation and protection works over an area exceeding 440 sq km under the Nagaland Forest Management Project.
The department has also notified nearly 200 Community Reserves on private land to strengthen community-led conservation efforts.
Housing and education
The governor stated that under the PMAY-G scheme, more than 36,000 houses have been completed in the state. Under PM-DeVINE, DUDA is currently implementing 22 livelihood projects across Eastern Nagaland.
He highlighted that rapid urbanisation has resulted in over 28.86% of Nagaland’s population residing in urban areas.
Under SASCI Part-V (2024–25), the department of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs is undertaking 12 infrastructure projects, including market complex-cum-ULB office buildings.
Under the Nagaland Education Project-NECTAR, around 3,900 teachers have been trained through 133 Professional Learning Communities across 10 subjects to support implementation of NEP 2020.
Infrastructure development is also underway in key government colleges under the PM-USHA scheme, while upgradation of Khelhoshe Polytechnic, Atoizu, into a degree college is progressing.
Start-ups and IT
Bhalla informed that registered start-ups in Nagaland generated over 1,500 jobs and recorded an estimated turnover of INR 73.80 crore in the last financial year.
The Startup Nagaland portal currently hosts 384 start-ups and aspiring enterprises. The state has been placed in the ‘Leaders’ category under DPIIT’s State Ranking Framework and ranked third among small states in the Export Preparedness Index 2024 released by NITI Aayog.
He added that Nagaland became the first state in the Northeast to adopt the Unified Logistics Interface Platform in September 2025.
The department of Information and Public Relations has been designated as the nodal department for AVGC-XR, while the department of IT & Communication is establishing a Nagaland Innovation Hub at Chümoukedima and AI Data Labs in two ITIs under the India AI Mission.
Roads and transport
The governor further informed the NPWD (Roads & Bridges) completed two CRIF projects covering 26.5 km at a cost of INR 55 crore and two NESIDS projects covering 27.85 km at a cost of INR 89.76 crore during the current year.
He stated that critical stretches of the Foothill Road covering 139.85 km across Mon, Longleng, Mokokchung, Wokha, Niuland and Peren districts are under execution, with 70% completion achieved as of February 2026.
He also highlighted completion of two-lane pavements on NH-29 and NH-2, along with widening and bridge rehabilitation works on NH-202 in Kiphire district.