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Our Correspondent
Kohima, Sep. 17 (EMN): Professor Jagdish Mukhi was on Friday sworn-in as the new Governor of Nagaland by the Judge of Gauhati High Court, Kohima Bench, Justice Songkhupchung Serto at the Raj Bhavan in Kohima.
Mukhi, who is also the governor of Assam, has been given additional charge of Nagaland until regular arrangements are made after RN Ravi was appointed as the new governor of Tamil Nadu.
Justice Serto administered the oath of office to the governor and Chief Secretary J Alam read out the "Warrant of Appointment" during the swearing-in ceremony, after which Mukhi proceeded to receive the Rashtriya Salute while the National Anthem was played.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, Deputy CM Y Patton, legislators and advisors among others joined the newly appointed Governor "At Home" after the 10-minute swearing-in ceremony.
Mukhi was the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and had held the portfolios of Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation, and Higher Education in the Centre. He was also instrumental in establishing Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, a professional university which was self-funded, as a minister of Higher Education.
Addressing the people of the state via AIR/DDK Kohima after being sworn-in as the governor of Nagaland, Mukhi called upon the people, especially the youth “to arise, awake, and partner in the development of Nagaland our dreams, a Nagaland for everyone, a Nagaland that is self assured, exuding greater confidence, assurance, humane leadership and futuristic vision and a Nagaland that will shine as the Eastern Star of the Indian Nation”
While extending greetings to the citizens, he assured to remain steadfastly committed to his constitutional responsibilities and pledged to dedicate selflessly and tirelessly to the service of the people.
He stated that his relationship with the people of Nagaland had “grown ever deeper and is deeply emotional” since he was introduced to the state decades ago. He also thanked the people for their love and soliciting trust in him.
“I look upon my present assignment as God’s wish and commandment to serve you to the best of my ability and assure you that I shall strive my utmost for same,” he was quoted as saying.
“Nagaland is an embodiment of the Indian Nation, exhibiting Unity in Diversity, diverse in its ethnicity and unified by the Naga identity. The rich tapestry of Naga Culture and tradition exemplifies that,” he added.
Mentioning GI-tagged products from the state, he said ‘we will work together to make Nagaland the cultural hub of India and a dreamt-about and sought-after tourist destination’.
He said that his endeavour would be to help create an inclusive ecosystem of optimum opportunities for the young people so that they could contribute towards transforming the state. “In this journey, I expect an equal partnership of our mothers and daughters,” he stated, adding that health, hygiene, and education have always been the core objective of the government.
Highlighting the state’s pace of growth specifically access to affordable health and education facilities, better connectivity, and infrastructure, he said that blending of people-centric technology and public policies would help the state grow even faster.
Speaking on Naga political issue, he stated that it had covered a remarkable path of progress under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and expressed confidence that “soon we will have a comprehensive and inclusive solution ensuring utmost honour and dignity to the Naga people”.