Our Correspondent
Kohima, August 15 (EMN): Chief Minister TR Zeliang on Tuesday released the second Nagaland State Human Development Report 2016 (SHDR) during the state level programme marking the 71st Independence Day celebrations at the State Secretariat Plaza in Kohima.
The SHDR is a product of resources from within the state, drawn from the bureaucracy, academia and civil society.
While the report reflects on the importance of peace for sustainable development and notes with hope the progress shown by the “framework agreement” signed between the Centre and the NSCN (IM), it also emphasises the state’s critical role in and responsibility towards environment conservation and preservation as part of India's commitment to the sustainable development agenda. The report also highlights the state's major achievements during the last one and a half decades which includes rise in the state’s Per Capita Income, which rose to around 25% higher than the national average during the last 4-5 years, suggesting there had been improvements in educational and health attainments.
“It must be recognized that Nagaland, along with other hill states, has a major responsibility in national environmental issues. This becomes particularly important in the context of the current international multilateral discussions on climate change….. The extent of forest cover in Nagaland will go a long way in India's contribution to controlling global environmental degradation,” stated Prof. Manoj Pant of Jawaharlal Nehru University Delhi, the lead author of the SHDR, in an overview of the report.
He says the various chapters in SHDR 2016 have been assembled to calculate and also reflect details of the Human Development Index (HDI) components: Income and Livelihood, Gender Issues (GDI) and Poverty Alleviation (HPI).
While the report may portray development in various fields, Prof Pant candidly points out that it hides the fact that there is considerable intra state disparity in the spread of the benefits of development. The report indicates a major contrast between the eastern districts of Kiphire, Longleng, Tuensang and Mon and those centred around Kohima and Dimapur. This inequality, according to Pant, is largely a function of two main factors: one being the road infrastructure and, two, access to income and livelihood.
United National Development Programme (UNDP) country director, Jaco Cilliers, in his message stated the present SHDR indicates that while substantial progress has been made since the first SHDR in 2004 on a number of parameters, addressing regional and gender disparities is important. Stating that the SHDR provides useful situation analysis, and hoping that findings of the report will be used for planning and budgeting for sustainable and inclusive growth in the state, Cilliers maintained that the UNDP valued its strong partnership with the state government and looks forward to supporting the priority efforts outlined in the report.
The second State Human Development Report 2016 is an outcome of a collaborative teamwork headed by chief secretary Pankaj Kumar as the principal coordinator, ACS & development commissioner RB Thong as state coordinator, OSD Planning & Coordination Kevileno Angami as nodal officer while the team of authors were headed by Prof. Manoj Pant. Other authors include Dr. Iris Odyuo, Eastern Mirror Executive Editor K Wapong Longkumer, Dr Anungla Imdong Phom, David Sachu, CJ Ponraj, Kesonyu Yhome, Dr. Nandira Changkija, Ella Mary, Manenkala Longkumer, Dr. Bunuo Liegise, Dr Meripeni Ngullie, Dr. Nishena Nekha, Narola Chuba, Dr Temjenzulu Jamir, Anungla Aier, Imtienla Ao, Vengota Nakro and Abraham Lotha. The way forward was authored by former chief secretary Alemtemshi Jamir.
Five thematic reports accompany the main SHDR: The Role of SSA in Reducing Educational Disparities between Districts, Environment- Climate Change and its Impact on Human Development and the Role of Communities, Economic Development for Women Empowerment in Nagaland, Children Affected by HIV/AIDS in Nagaland, and Factors Influencing IMR/MMR in Nagaland.
