Our Correspondent
Kohima, March 24 (EMN): Nagaland legislators on Thursday described the final budget speech of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio during the 11th session of the 13th Nagaland Legislative Assembly as a “progressive” and “visionary” while suggesting room for improvement.
Rio, who also holds the portfolio of Finance, presented a deficit budget of INR 2212.74 crore for the financial year 2022-23. However, the transactions for the year are also estimated to result in a surplus balance of INR 150.30 crore for the fiscal year.
Participating in the general discussion of the budget speech, Naga People’s Front MLA Y Vikheho Swu said the zero-deficit budget signifies progress and therefore it is a “progressive and forward budget”. Meanwhile, suggested the government to spend the revenue judiciously.
He also urged the government to look into other important areas like human resources and skill development. He suggested that music workshops be conducted in rural areas from time to time so as to help talented musicians in those places.
The MLA also laid emphasis on sports in the state and proposed that capacity and career-building of talented sportspersons be initiated. It is now time to bring a paradigm shift in sports by sponsoring sportspersons, he added.
On district demands, he said the government needs to think beyond tribal lines and consider demands based on geographical areas, population, and need-based.
Minister of Planning & Coordination, Land Revenue, and Parliamentary Affairs, Neiba kronu initiated the discussion. Congratulating CM's initiatives, he said the new schemes will help entrepreneurs, SHGs, and farmers start their own business and termed it as the “best budget ever”.
Minister for PWD (Housing & Mechanical), Tongpang Ozukum said the budget speech was “visionary” wherein the chief minister made huge investments in youth for posterity.
Speaking on Naga political issue, he said that all the 60 MLAs are “very much stakeholders as long as talks are going on”. He added that ‘no one should question or have doubts on sincere efforts made by 60 MLAs as facilitator’. He also wondered how serious the elected members of Nagas from outside Nagaland are when it comes to the Naga political issue.
On revenue collection in the power sector, there is an improvement and more than INR 200 crore is expected to be collected. He added that people must be sensitised to pay for what they consume.
NPF MLA Chotisuh Sazo raised concerns over the issue of farmers being affected by drought-like situations last year. Due to late transplantation, particularly of wet terrace rice cultivation, there was less harvest and farmers were at loss. Considering the loss of production, he urged the government to initiate plans to mitigate the affected farmers.
NPF MLA Yitachu said that there was no proper plan in the budget speech as to how to take things forward with regard to trade centres along with border areas. He also observed that there was no mention made of inland waterways, Ceithu airport, and railway line to Kohima in the budget speech.
He stated that Nagaland without a medical college is “embarrassing”. Every state has medical college except Nagaland, he said while urging the government to expedite.
MLA Amenba Yaden termed the budget as “comprehensive touching upon many important issues”. He also highlighted the plight of the employees and the retirees of the public sector, specifically of industries in Nagaland wherein 40+ existing employees are languishing without pay since 2017 and many have gone on retirement without salaries of many months and pensions.
He appealed to the government of the day to frame an appropriate policy to restore and make use of the industrial infrastructures and also address the employee’s grim situation.
Minister for PHED Jacob Zhimomi lauded the chief minister for presenting a surplus budget which showed the state is heading in the “right direction”. He also appreciated the government for up-grade of four subdivisions to full-fledged districts. He added that people will be witnessing new towns in the next decade or so.
Among the participants in the discussion were also senior NPF MLA Imkong L Imchen, Advisors L Khumo and H Haiying, and MLA CL John.
NPF MLA Dr. Chumben Murry said that the government should stand firmly on the ground reality that NTLP Act has been more deleterious than beneficial for the people and urged to amend it.
He said that he was hoping the Act would be tabled in the concluded state assembly session for amendment.
“Bible also says give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's, so, I don't actually understand the stand of the Churches in opposing the move of the government to amend this infamous Act which will increase our SOR (state own resource),” he stated.
Terming the budget speech as ‘most way forward’, he said it offers a very synergistic window for discussion of good financial management. He also called upon the youth to understand that despite difficulties, the government, over the years, has been giving importance to capacity building of the youth, be it in the field of life skills development, sports, music, business and entrepreneurship, and take advantage of it.
The state still has a massive shortfall of meat, fish, and dairy production, and more stress on these areas and more state funding should be provided for various husbandries, he pointed out.
He also opined that appointment criteria for Goan Buras and Dobashis should be made. GBs should be at least certificate holders and DBs diploma holders in their respective customary law and usages. The government of the day may look into areas where and how such certificates and diplomas can be obtained and under what authority and work out modalities.
There is also a crisscross of the application of modern judicial law and Naga customary law, he said while appreciating the effort of the government to compile and codify the customary law and its usages.
He further suggested that adjudication in certain areas like land and property disputes; marital and domestic issues and petty crimes, should be left to customary courts and not go beyond.
The MLA also suggested that government of the day mull on the introduction of own Religion and Marriage Act and own Civil Code to protect religious and social ways of life as enshrined in Article 371A;(1);(a); (i), so that the Central Laws on these matters do not overshadow our own ways of life.
Article 371(A) was a necessary extraneous insinuation into the Constitution of India because of the people of the state’s unique predisposition and one must strongly protect the uniqueness because there are many central laws that should not be applicable to Naga ways of life-based on this Article, he added.