My dear brothers and sisters of Nagaland,
On the 72nd Republic Day of our great nation, I extend my warmest greetings to you all and to the rest of my countrymen. On this day of celebration we remember with utmost gratitude and reverence our founding fathers whose sacrifices, blood and sweat created this great Republic. We also pay our sincere gratitude to all those whose labour, capital and enterprises built this Republic great. We remember with utmost regard the members of our armed forces, police and other security agencies for stoutly defending the integrity of our Country and ensuring security of our people.
On this auspicious day we also remember and pay our deepest homage and tribute to the founding fathers of Nagaland, who, under the most trying circumstances, united the Nagas in Assam and NEFA and through a peaceful democratic process secured for the people this beautiful State with unique constitutional safeguards for the Nagas’ way of life as well as their land and resources.
Friends, under the charismatic leadership of our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, India is experiencing a renaissance that happens once in centuries or perhaps millennia, when a nation wakes up to its destiny and marches towards it with unflinching determination. With the mantra of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas – an all inclusive prosperity, PM Modi has given a clarion call to the countrymen to build an Atmanirbhar Bharat. This is the long awaited destiny of India.
An Atmanirbhar Bharat, an India free from crucial dependence on others and yet symbiotically integrated with the global family is the answer to the ills afflicting the humanity – conflicts between man and man, and between man and the environment. A self-reliant India with its civilizational value: Vasudhaiva Ktumbakam “the World is one Family” is not a choice but a necessity for the better of mankind. The world today is looking upto India with unprecedented expectations.
For the last abut one year, the whole world has been suffering from the global pandemic – COVID-19. India also has suffered. However, it is to the credit of the visionary leadership of PM Modi that India has defied experts’ initial predictions of unimaginably high scale of deaths and destruction likely to be caused by the pandemic. We are grateful to our COVID warriors – doctors, nurses and other frontline workers who have been risking their lives to save the countrymen. Today, the global community acknowledges India as the most successful story in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the last one year, India has taken enormous leaps in capacity building so much so that from scratch, the country today is an exporter of life saving kits and drugs like PPE, ventilators and medicines to other needy countries. The country under the leadership of Prime Minister, Modi launched the world’s largest inoculation drive on January 16, 2021. In less than a week of launching, our country has shipped tens and thousands of free COVID-19 vaccines to the neighbouring countries. India makes 60% of the world’s vaccines and we are playing a vital role in this global fight against COVID-19 pandemic. The world including the advanced countries are looking up to India for affordable and effective vaccines to save their people. Such achievements of our scientists are a quantum leap towards an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Friends, when the rest of the world is in the midst of a prolonged recession due to the pandemic, India is experiencing a V-shaped economic recovery. While the advanced countries are forced to go for stringent lock-downs again and again, in India the mobility of our people and economic activities are bouncing back. Record collection of GST is a credible indicator that India is on the path to fast recovery. Prime Minister’s COVID Mantra – Do Gaj Ki Doori – Mask Hai Zaroori and now with coming of the vaccines, Dawai Bhi, Kadai Bhi, have given enormous confidence to the countrymen to face and overcome this unprecedented global crisis.
Along with the rest of the country, Nagaland also has been moving forward and contributing to the building of an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
Nagaland has faced the COVID-19 challenges with remarkable resilience and confidence. We have significantly added to our capacity to deal with the pandemic. From no-testing lab, when we had to send our suspect samples to the labs in neighbouring States, we have built 3 testing labs within a record time. We upgraded the capacities of our hospitals.
Our front-line COVID warriors including doctors, nurses, Safai Karmacharis, police personnel, SDRF and NDRF teams, Village Guards, Sanitation Workers in Urban Local Bodies, transport workers operating the buses carrying the returnees, those managing the quarantine centres, District Task Force personnel, Nagaland Red Cross Volunteers and Civil Society Organizations did excellent work in our collective fight against the pandemic and saving lives. We will ever remain thankful to them.
We along with rest of the country have started vaccination of more than 19,000 health workers of the State against COVID-19. This will be followed by vaccination of about 30,000 other frontline workers – police, home guards, disaster management, prison department personnel etc., and in the third phase it is proposed to vaccinate over 3.4 lakh people of the age of 50 years and above. However, until such time the threat has completely receded, we must continue to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols in our daily life in the form of wearing masks, maintaining social distance, regular hand washing and following all the other related guidelines.
I am also glad to share with you that within a short span of time progress has been made to commence the works of the new Medical College at Mon.
Department of Agriculture is giving emphasis on organic farming which would not only fetch premium price for the produce to the farmers but also provide healthy and nutritious food to our people. Organic certification has been carried out by OneCert International under MOVCD-NER and till date an area of 13,000 ha has already been certified in the State.
The Department of Horticulture has chalked out an economic development roadmap for the horticulture sector, wherein the key highlights are the development of 100 vegetables villages for 10,0000 households, strengthening of the post harvest and value addition infrastructures for fruits and vegetables and promotion of mushroom cultivation apart from other activities.
The Department of Land Resources during 2020-21 under the Rubber Development Scheme distributed 215 No. of rubber sheet rollers to rubber growers in the State catering to an area of 643 Ha. of rubber plantation which have attained tappable stage. A cumulative area of 1000 ha has been brought under coffee plantation. In 409 project villages, kitchen garden based on permaculture design has been introduced.
The Department of Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Services has distributed approximately 80,000 Low Input Technology Chicks and 1000 weaner pigs to the farmers to help mitigate shortage of rearing stock due to pandemic.
The Department of Water Resources during 2020-21 is taking up 262 units of Groundwater Irrigation under PMKSY-HKKP(IC& GW) at an estimated cost of Rs18. 06 crores to cover a CCA of 667.75 ha. This scheme is to be implemented in 5 (five) districts Dimapur, Mokokchung, Peren, Mon, and Wokha.
The Department of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in partnership with Japan International Development Agency, is implementing the Nagaland Forest Management Project in 185 villages. In 31 villages under Batch – I, micro plans are in place and works on ground have started. During the year 2020-21, 12.86 lakh saplings have been planted in 6264 hectares. In 63 villages under Batch- II, preparation of Micro Plans to take up the works and mobilization of the community is underway.
The Urban Development Department under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) has taken up 27 infrastructure projects in two AMRUT towns – Kohima and Dimapur to be completed by the end of 2020-21. During Swachh Survekshan 2020, three Urban Local Bodies from Nagaland viz. Mokokchung, Chumukedima and Pfutsero bagged awards in respective categories from North East Zone.
The Department of Employment, Skill Development & Entrepreneurship has taken several measures for skilling and training the youth for sustainable livelihoods, and is providing platforms for easily connecting the job seekers with employers. The Department of Underdeveloped Areas (DUDA) is taking up programmes on infrastructure development, education, health care, livelihood and economic development in the backward areas during 2020-21 through the implementation of Underdeveloped Areas Program (UDAP) with an annual outlay of Rs. 17.85 crores and Border Area Development Program (BADP) with an annual outlay of Rs. 11.20 crores.
The Department of School Education has taken initiatives for ensuring the process of Continuous Learning in all Government schools which have remained closed for long due to the pandemic. The Department has launched Online Teachers’ Transfer to ensure transparency in the system. Further in association with M/s iBHubs, Hyderabad, the Department is implementing Free India 4.0 Education though which nearly 4,000 students from economically backward families are likely to benefit. The Technical Education sector got a boost with the building inauguration of Government Polytechnic Aboi, Mon, on 27th Dec. 2020 by Shri. Neiphiu Rio, Hon’ble Chief Minister. The academic session of newly inaugurated Aboi, Mon Polytechnic along with Government Polytechnic Wokha and Peren is expected to start from July 2021.
Tourism suffered heavily due to the pandemic and we were constrained to celebrate the Hornbill Festival in virtual mode. We hope that Tourism will revive during the current year.
Noklak district which became operational since August of last year was formally inaugurated on 20th January 2021 and it has come to proudly occupy its rightful place as the 12th district of the State. I convey my best wishes to the people of Noklak district, and eagerly look forward to it improving rapidly on all the developmental parameters.
Friends, the State hasn’t seen any major eruption of law and order problem for some time. However, the menace of rampant extortions under the guise of illegal taxation by anti social elements has not yet been fully curbed though police and security forces have been taking action against such elements. Rampant extortions create a sense of fear among businesses, small and large, and inhibit entrepreneurship which severely undermines the economy and growth of the State. It hampers development. As a result the State is not doing as well as other states on several development indicators. The State Government has continued its efforts to curb the menace of extortion and illegal taxation.
Nagaland is rich in natural resources and endowed with one of the finest human resources. Unfortunately, the people of Nagaland have not been able to reap optimum benefit of these as well as various progressive schemes of the Central and State Governments – because some extra constitutional entities in the guise of espousing the Naga national cause have queered the pitch for the people and the Government and kept the peace and progress at bay. The Government of India has taken several political initiatives for its enduring resolutions from time to time. The latest initiative since the last 24 years could not fructify as yet due to unrealistic intransigence of some people who are unwilling to forsake the politics by gun.
Friends, the mainstream Naga society has never accepted violence as a political resource. In the initial decade of Independence, the Naga leaders remained committed to the democratic politics and the Nagas were united. It was only in December 1955 when some radical leaders decided to use guns to achieve their political objective that the Naga society was divided. A large number of leaders including Shri T.Sakhrie, the General Secretary, NNC, a staunch Naga nationalist and perhaps the most mature and educated among the leaders, dissociated themselves from the organization. They tried their best to persuade the radicals to shun the path of self-destructive violence.
Unfortunately T.Sakhrie was soon abducted and brutally killed. All those leaders who were against violence were targeted and a large number of village Chiefs, tribal leaders, Dobhashis and public leaders were killed by those who believed in the cult of violence. Naga society suffered fratricidal killings at unprecedented scale.
Even in the midst of raging violence the mainstream Naga Society got together, united the Nagas who were divided between Assam and NEFA and through over four years of socio-political churning and skilful negotiations with the Government of India created Nagaland State with unique status under Article 371-A of the Indian Constitution.
With the creation of an unique State, the people of Nagaland took control of their destiny. Normalcy began returning to the land. Unfortunately at that time some hostile foreign agencies began fishing in the troubled water. They exploited the Naga insurgency for their own geo-political interests at the cost of the Naga people. They fundamentally changed the basic character of the Naga political movement to the detriment of Naga’s identity and interests.
It is a matter of record that in the last some 50 years, far many times more Nagas have died in fratricidal and factional killings by the armed groups who believed in the power of the barrel of guns than those in conflict with the security forces.
Friends, the politics by gun has fragmented the Naga society. It has pitted neighbours against each other, Khels against Khels and tribes against tribes. It did not even spare the Church for their honest initiatives to usher peace in this land.
In a democracy there is ample space for resolution of differences through peaceful dialogue. However, there is no space for politics by gun. Those who believe in such a politics shall always remain outliers in a democracy.
The unrealistic, self-destructive and divisive politics has exhausted the people of Nagaland. The primary stakeholders have made their positions abundantly clear that the era of gun must end without further delay and enduring peace must be restored. They have made it clear that unresolved issues, if any, be pursued through dialogue post-settlement.
The initiative of the State Government in holding a comprehensive meeting with broad spectrum tribal and civil societies on October 15, 2020 in Kohima that reiterated the popular sentiment that the armed groups must come together to facilitate One-Solution for the sake of the people – is appreciable. This sentiment was reiterated on 18th December 2020 in a Joint Statement of the Hon’ble Chief Minister and the Hon’ble Leader of Opposition.
Friends, Prime Minister Narendra Modi loves the Naga people and holds them in high esteem. He is committed to restoring an enduring peace in the region with utmost regard to the wishes of the people. He is anxious to ensure that while India is taking giant leaps to the Moon and Mars, our people of Nagaland are not left behind.
For accelerated infrastructure development in Nagaland, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has taken up building 952 KM road at the cost of Rs. 10,972 crores. The work is in progress. The Ministry of Railways is bringing rail connectivity near the State capital by investing Rs.7,114.55 crores in building Dhansiripar-Zubza railway line. I urge the people, specially, the village authorities to help and co-operate for speedy execution of these roads and railway projects. We must take optimum advantage of building as many village roads under PMGSY. By 2022, when the country will be celebrating the 75th year of Independence, Nagaland must have a decent network of road and rail infrastructure. India’s renaissance includes Nagaland in equal measure.
My fellow citizens, in a time when India is rapidly progressing and changing dramatically, we must make effort and advance with the rest of the country. I commend those who continue to draw inspirations from the founders of the State to realise their dream of a progressive Nagaland and urge those who have been led astray to join mainstream. There must be no doubt in any quarter that Nagaland is and shall remain an integral part of the Republic of India. Any scheme to disintegrate this Republic shall face the brunt of this great Nation.
On this auspicious occasion, I earnestly urge those friends who are still standing between the people and the peace to see the writings on the wall. The people of Nagaland and Peace can no longer be kept a hostage. Together, let us prosper for an Atmanirbhar Bharat.
God Bless the Republic of India !
Kuknalim !
Jai Hind !
*****
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