Give a final push to achieve Naga political settlement, urges Nagaland Chief Minister

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Aug. 15 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has called upon the Naga people to give a final push to achieve the Naga political settlement.

Rio stated this on the occasion of India’s 74th Independence Day, which was held at Secretariat Plaza in Kohima.

“Naga society must stand as one, speak as one, and give a final push to collectively achieve a settlement and remove the shackles that burden our society once and for all,” he said.

He said that 23 years of ceasefire and political dialogue is more than enough time to reach a logical conclusion.

‘The Nagas long for genuine peace and there is a deep desire for a solution that will pave the way for all-round progress and development. Political solution that is honourable and acceptable to the Naga people will usher in an era of faster economic growth and greater employment opportunities for the youth. A democratic and just settlement of the Naga issue will not only bring peace and stability to the entire north-eastern region of the country, but also directly strengthen the democratic foundations of this great nation,’ Rio said.

He added that it is time for the civil society to discuss and create a conducive atmosphere ‘with full understanding as one Naga family’ despite of different administrative jurisdictions.

Further, he called upon the negotiating parties of the Indo-Naga peace talks to resolve the issue without further delay.

He said that the state government has continued to play the role of active facilitator in the ongoing political dialogue by making all possible efforts to create a congenial atmosphere for the peace talks to reach a logical conclusion.

Covid-19 raises state’s efficiency

Rio said that the novel coronavirus pandemic has shown ‘our resilience and our capacity to raise our efficiency, management, and planning capabilities to further heights’.

He assured that the state can also deal with all other challenges, particularly on the economic front.

“Our determination and collective efforts will not only help us come out of this crisis, but will definitely help us to greater progress and prosperity in months and years to come,” Rio added.

Employment opportunities

In response to the pressing need for creating employment opportunities for the large number of returnees, a strategic committee for economic affairs headed by the chief minister was constituted. Subsequently, a core group consisting of experts and other stakeholders was formed to work out strategies and action plans to strengthen the state’s economy, according to Rio.

A digital platform — Nagaland Job Links Portal — has been launched to help connect job seekers and employers for placement in the private sector.

Along with this, an e-commerce platform, YellowChain, has just been launched. This will empower traders by providing them an opportunity to carry on with their business, Rio said. The department of Rural Development has also responded to Covid-19 pandemic by giving job cards under MGNREGA to the people, including returnees willing to work and earn, he added.

Further, Rio said that 50% of grant-in-aid to VDBS amounting to INR 17.50 crore for the year 2019-20 was released, which played a significant role in helping villagers to get essential commodities and setting up of temporary quarantine centres at village-level.

To further boost development activities in the districts, especially in healthcare and agri and allied sectors, an amount of INR 30 crore has been released to the districts under local area development programme, Rio informed.

Impact on tourism industry

The chief minister said that the pandemic has had a negative impact on the tourism industry across the world.

‘However, despite these challenges, it is crucial that we move forward and re-strategise our acclaimed status as a tourism destination. New initiatives to protect Nagaland’s all-round improvement of the tourism eco-system are underway, strengthening improvement of infrastructure, upgrading to digital platforms, capacity building and redrawing of tourism strategies. In order to maintain continuity, we have also decided to organise the flagship event of the Hornbill Festival this year with a few modifications,’ the chief minister informed.

He also assured that the law and order situation in the state has remained normal and under control by far.

The chief minister assured that the state government will continue to put up a determined response to combat the pandemic in the days to come.

YellowChain launched 

The chief minister rolled out e-commerce platform, YellowChain, on the occasion of the Independence Day.

Rio launched the portal, which was initiated by the Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (Idan), in the presence of Idan’s CEO Alemtemshi Jamir and other dignitaries. A short promotional video was also played during the launch.

It may be mentioned that YellowChain recorded more than 37k visitors till the time of its launch.