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Dimapur, Nov. 26 (EMN): Naga society enjoys the privilege of not paying taxes directly or indirectly but this cannot go on forever ‘as we have to think about our economy to become self-sufficient’, said Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio.
He was speaking at a webinar organised by the Naga Scholars’ Association on the theme ‘Living in the Present: Nagas in the 21st century’, on Thursday.
The chief minister said that Nagas are at a crossroad where negotiation for Naga political solution is at the concluding stage, 'and today we are administratively divided into different jurisdictions'.
“I am confident that the march of democracy will bring us together again. We just have to be patient and continue to strive for oneness along with a political future as one people," he said.
He added that it is imperative for Nagas to join hands for an honourable solution and ‘learn to co-exist in an atmosphere of peace among ourselves and among our neighbours’.
Rio said that people of Nagaland have to learn to give in the form of duties and taxes, which in turn can be used for the people.
According to him, when it comes to self-sufficiency, “we should not only think about materialistic things but think of psychological self-reliance and together we must formulate new policies and programmes to see that development works and Nagas move towards the right direction".
He said that the state government is making tremendous efforts to improve the health sector, roads, power, education, water supply and the field of music and arts. He further stated that he was "hopeful that Nagas of the 21st century are ready to take the challenges thrown upon us; and together we will march forward as proud successful family”.
Rio also shared that in the age of modernisation, it is important to protect one’s identity and deliberate on how to take it forward into the future. He suggested that ‘we understand and appreciate our Naga core principles and discuss ways and means of preserving our culture and balance our traditional values with the modern lifestyle’.
"Nagas have come a long way from head hunting days to accepting Christianity and adopting a learned culture and democratic way of life," he said.
"We must move with the changes in time and adapt ourselves to latest technology and machineries. We also need to interpret our traditional values in today’s context to make them relevant to our youth of today,” he added.
The chief minister also expressed hope that ‘a new insight and roadmap for the future would definitely come through our Naga researchers and thinkers from across the globe as they share their experiences and reflect the changes regarding our state’.