Neiphiu Rio, J Alam mourn demise of former chief secretary of Nagaland

Dimapur, April 18 (EMN): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio condoled the demise of former Chief Secretary of Nagaland, Padma Shri AM Gohakle, who passed away due to Covid on Sunday morning. He was 75.

Rio in his message said it was a loss not only limited to his immediate family members but to all in Nagaland.

“Shri Gokhale was an exceptional officer, an optimist, a true leader, and a thinker par excellence, who during his more than three decades of service in the Indian Administrative Service brought about revolutionary changes.

“In Nagaland, he developed the concept of the village development board which decentralised development to the village level, much before the Panchayati Raj institutions were brought in the rest of the country. The people of the entire state shall continue to fondly remember the passionate manner in which he executed and put in place the necessary foundation to ensure its success and sustainability. He was awarded Padma Shri for this pathbreaking work,” it read.

“Building on the strengths and traditions of the people of Nagaland and merging it with his passion for conserving environment, he established Nagaland Environment Protection and Economic Development through People’s Act (Neped), building a motivated and dedicated team from scratch, which for the first time also brought in financing from external agencies to Nagaland. Its success also motivated the state government to set-up a number of other game changing missions such as the bamboo mission, honey mission,” read the message.

Rio said that Gokhale always had the best interest for the citizens of the state, and would ‘remain in the hearts of the people of Nagaland’.

Further, the chief minister conveyed his deepest condolences to his wife Savita Gokhale and children and prayed for his soul to rest in peace.

Further, Chief Secretary of Nagaland, J Alam expressed shock at the sudden demise of Gokhale.

In his condolence message, Alam shared that he was a ‘gifted bureaucrat with a limitless capacity for innovative thinking, change management and team building’.

‘Throughout his life, he remained dedicated to the cause of development of the rural poor. Nagaland can never forget his contribution in conceiving and building the institution of VDBs that remains a model of success in the north east and indeed the entire country. In his sad and untimely demise, we have lost a fine gentleman with infectious energy and dedication, a team leader and a true friend and benefactor of the people of Nagaland.’

“During his illustrious career, he distinguished himself with several path breaking innovations in public and development administration. His most lasting and shining contribution was the setting up and nurturing of Village Development Boards in Nagaland that are the main vehicle of village level development in the State. For this sterling achievement, he was conferred the prestigious Padma Shri Award by the Government of India – a rare honour for government officials indeed. He served as the chief Secretary of the state at a crucial time when the ceasefire was signed between the Government of India and the NSCN (IM),’ it added.

Alam shared that his lasting legacy of VDBs and Neped would continue to inspire and guide the young civil servants and the people of Nagaland.

He further conveyed condolences to the bereaved family and prayed to the Almighty to grant them courage and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.