Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, July 27
The Nagaland Legislative Assembly today passed the Budget for 2015-16 fiscal which was presented by the Chief Minister T R Zeliang last Thursday. Zeliang, who also holds the charge of the Finance portfolio, had presented a tax increased budget for the current year with an accumulated deficit of Rs. 1426.29 crores.
Clarifying some doubts raised in the house during the general discussion in the state assembly on Monday, the Chief Minister said the Planning Commission which has been changed to NITI Aayog is still in the transitional process and would take another month or so to get finalized by the Central Government.
He described the budget 2015-16 as a realistic and reformative budget as the state government is projecting whatever is available in its hand. Pointing out that the new plan process is going to mandate the states to manage their funds, he said this is a new found responsibility. With the state having a huge amount of deficit accumulated over the years, he cautioned on the need to be careful on spending.
Towards this, the Chief Minister stated that financial control and discipline is needed in order to cut down the outstanding deficit. This will require cautiously deciding the state’s developmental needs and effective utilization of funds and resources, he pointed out.
Zeliang said the need of the hour is to make concrete steps to generate revenue and decrease the state’s dependence on Central Government and for this the people have to change their mindset.
He cited that in oil and natural gas production, the state has formulated its own rules despite the Central Government trying to obstruct this step. However, it could not take off properly now due to landowner related problems. “We cannot progress in developmental activities if we don’t change our mindset,” he said.
On the industrial sector, the Chief Minister said the state could not progress due to insufficient power supply, however he informed that transmission lines are being upgraded and once the process is complete, development activities of the sector could be launched.
He also mentioned that the state government is contemplating to provide adequate water supply and good road connectivity starting with Kohima and Dimapur. Towards this, he said that at least 95% land compensation has been completed for the proposed 4 laning of the Dimapur-Kohima highway and the project is expected to be taken up soon.
Claiming that that this year’s plan is one of the best plans after statehood, Zeliang said he is happy that all the members of the House are on the same side. He reminded them that they should act like members of the Treasury Bench and not an Opposition Bench.
He asserted that more importantly, this opposition-less government is helping them to express sufficiently on the 6 decades long Naga political issue. But he warned the legislators not to be complacent because of being in an opposition-less government and urged upon them to engage in constructive and objective debate so that this government would perform better.
Earlier, initiating the discussion on the budget 2015-16, parliamentary secretary for Planning & Coordination, Neiba Kronu described the budget as “meaningful and practical” and indicative of the government’s aspiration to bring about good changes and introduce austerity measures. He expressed appreciation on the tax-centric budget since the state’s internal revenue generation so far stands at a mere 8-9%. “We cannot tax our people on what we cannot provide for them, but in areas where there is leakage, tax has to be paid since generation of revenue at this juncture is essential,” Kronu said.
He remarked that it is not just Nagaland but all the other states that are facing dilemma due to the Planning Commission being replaced by the NITI Aayog, and he stated that the best is being hoped for once the transitional period settles in.
Parliamentary secretary for Housing, Levi Rengma said people naturally feel apprehensive when new things come, but he said everything is done for the good of the people and expressed confidence that the introduction of NITI Aayog will be good for the people.
Meanwhile, he urged the government to seriously consider on creation of new departments as creation of departments will require more workforce, leading to more allocation of the budget on salaries. He stressed on the need to manage the limited funds that are allocated for the state and do away with dependency on the Centre in every aspect. He feels that there is apprehension over doing away with the special category state for Nagaland because the people do not have confidence in themselves.
Also participating in the discussion, MLA G Kaito Aye said that the budget is good but “not very good”. He maintained that the government should not only to lay the departmental undertakings in the assembly but also come out with an actual achievement report. He said the coming together of the 60 MLAs should benefit the people and transparency has to be maintained in every step. “There are more watchdogs than when we were divided,” he cautioned.
Describing the budget as a “vision document”, parliamentary secretary for Land Resources, BS Nganlang
said Nagaland has, for the last 50 years, been dependant on Central Government but the time has now come for the state to generate its own revenue by streamlining its natural resources. He feels that unorganized mining practiced over the years has badly impacted the agriculture sector and neither the state nor the landowners could benefit. He expressed hope that the proposed proper system mentioned in the Chief Minister’s budget speech would be enforced soon for the benefit of all.
Parliamentary secretary for Higher & Technical Education, Deo Nukhu who also participated in the discussion and expressed his appreciation to the house for unanimously agreeing to urge the Centre to withdraw the DAA from Nagaland. He opined that the AFSPA should not be only withdrawn but be repealed in the parliament as it infringes the basic human rights.
Nukhu also lauded the policy measures for mobilization of resources and expressed hope that concentration would be given to the marketing area when it comes to Agri and Allied sector. He voiced concern that recently a Naga farmer leader was attacked by non-locals in Dimapur encouraged by syndicates who have decided not to accept any products of the Nagas. He stated that in a subsequent event, no one was willing to buy local agriculture produce brought down to Dimapur even when they were offered at a very cheap rate. When approached on the matter, he said, some agriculture and horti department officials reportedly told the farmers not to produce so much if they are unable to sell their products. He stated that this needs to be addressed and marketing avenues for local farmers should be take up with importance.
Parliamentary secretary for Agriculture, Dr. Benjongliba Aier commented that the new approach in the Agri & Allied sectors was laudable since the sector has performed well in the last financial year, achieving a growth rate of 4.38% which is better than the National average. He also added that the Agriculture department has contributed 24.73% to the GDP of the State.
The Chief Minister in his concluding remarks on budget discussion thanked the members who participated and conveyed that their constructive suggestions were taken into consideration.
Earlier, Obituary Reference for the former Union Minister BK Handique, who died in the Jorhat Medical College in Assam yesterday was made and the House observed two-minute silence in honour of the departed soul.
After completion of the list of business of the 9th Session of the 12th NLA, Speaker Chotisuh Sazo adjourned the House sine die.
