Dimapur, Aug. 7 (EMN): Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, on Sunday, proposed for six power projects to the Central govt. for strengthening the state’s power system and earning revenue from power supply.
Speaking at the 7th meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog in New Delhi, Rio proposed the
Tizu Valley Hydro Electric project at a cost of INR 336.63 crore;construction of 2x5 MW grid-connected Solar PV project (including power evacuation system) at Sub-Zhadima at a cost of INR 67.83 crore, building a 132 Kv transmission system and Kv distribution strengthening and improvement system (along the Foothill Road) at a cost of INR 857.06 crore; installation of smart meters in three major divisions of Dimapur , Chumoukedima and Kohima at a cost of INR 100 crore; electrification of rural cluster of farm areas for rural economy at a cost of INR 80 crore ; and 11kv last mile connectivity under NERPSIP at a cost of INR 12 crore.
He said that these projects would be in addition to the Zungki HEP and Lower Tizu projects, which have been approved in principle for external funding by the Department of Economic Affairs.
Further,Rio informed that the Airport Authority of India (AAI) had conducted the feasibility survey for the airport in 2006-07 and acquired 1013.72 acres of land at a cost of INR 18.06,50,000. The AAI has now done a revised DPR and the option for A320 Airbus aircraft is found feasible, he stated. He requested the govt. for immediate sanction of the project so that Nagaland has an airport “which will stimulate development and add to the National GDP”.
Regarding the 320.25 km Trans-Nagaland Highway or the Foothill Road, he said funding for the project was taken up under SPA, but after its discontinuation, the proposal is being followed up with the Ministry of Road Transport andHighways (MoRTH). “This road is crucial for transforming the economic scenario and also facilitate the productivity of agro-based industries in the state,” he said. Rio requested that the road be sanctioned at the earliest in the interest of faster economic development and regional connectivity.
The chief minister stated that the Multidisciplinary Sports Centre (Centre of Excellence for Sports) at Dimapur was conceived in 2004-05 with an objective to cater to training and higher–level competitive events in the state. The state government earmarked an area of 64.25 acres for the centre. The ,aster plan includes the main athletic stadium, AC indoor stadium, gymnasium, hockey stadium, aquatic complex, velodrome, archery range, sports medicine centre, outdoor games courts, boy’s and girl’s hostels, guesthouse , residential block, cafeteria , public amenities administrative block and services and utilities, he informed. He stated that the project was accepted by the then Planning Commission with an annual sanction of 10 crore for its completion, which was discontinued after NITI AAYOG was formed. Approximately INR 157 crore is required for completion of this project, he said and requested for its immediate sanction.
To ensure further equitable access to quality education for students from socio-economically disadvantaged groups (SEDGs), two new model degree colleges from the next Academic Session 2023-2024 in the remote areas of Wakching under Mon district and Mangkolemba under Mokokchung district are being opened, he said.
Rio also sought the Centre’s support to establish a ‘Traditional Knowledge Research Centre’ in the state “to revive and promote the rich tribal knowledge system” and reminded that the Union Budget speech of 2015-16 had announced the establishment of IISER (Indian Institute of Science Education & Research) at Nagaland and Odisha. The state government has acquired 200 acres of land for establishing Indian Institute of Science Education and Research ( IISER) at Dimapur to be provided free of cost for the project.
According to Rio, provisions for payment of salaries of teachers appointed under erstwhile SSA and RMSA, which were capped after being subsumed to Samagra Shiksha during 2018-19, had created a huge financial burden on the State.
“There was an outgo of INR 186.77 crore in the last fiscal. This is in addition to the burden of approx. Rs. 75 crore for the salaries of 1379 Hindi teachers appointed under Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) during 2012-17, which the State has to now bear. It is a huge burden for a small and revenue deficit State like Nagaland. I would request that special provision may be made for States like Nagaland to meet these expenditures”, he said.
The Chief Minister requested the Government of India to take up the expansion of Naga Integrated Settled Farming (N-isF) under the PM-DeVINE scheme and to strengthen the Central Institute of Horticulture, Medziphema to provide support in pre-production and value chain development areas.
“As a part of the envisaged initiatives on Digital Agriculture, States are required to have a farmers’ database with dynamic linking to land records, geo referencing of village maps and GIS-based real time crop survey to be completed within a timeline of March 31, 2023. However, it would be appreciated that the landholding system of our State is very unique, with land owned privately.
“Moreover, there are no land records except in the Dimapur district and some administrative headquarters. In addition, the traditional system of cultivation used to shift after every two years. Creation of land records and linking of farmers’ database with land records will take time. The Government of India may, therefore, like to extend sufficient time for the state of Nagaland”, he said.