Dimapur, March 21 (EMN): Naga Students’ Federation (NSF) wasted no time to meet the newly appointed chief minister Neiphiu Rio and submitted a representation with a plethora of demands mostly ‘pending issues’ from the previous government on Wednesday.
As press release from the federation appended by president Kesosul Christopher Ltu and the general secretary Imtiyapang Imsong stated that the list of issues were pending or yet to be taken up by the government, although ‘several letters and representations’ have been served earlier.
The federation highlighted that free school uniforms and text books were not distributed on time to the students in the government schools. It appealed to the chief minister to intervene so that the students can avail these benefits at the earliest.
NSF also urged the chief minister to expedite the current investigation process undertaken by the State Vigilance Commission into various irregularities pertaining to Mid Day Meal scheme in the government schools in the state. It highlighted that mid-day meals were not served even once in some schools in the previous academic sessions. It concludedthat the money meant for the scheme was being misappropriated.
The federation also expressed concern on the selection of non-indigenous candidates for the post of graduate teachers for science and mathematics subjects in a recently conducted test. It appealed to the chief minister to nullify the earlier declaration of the selection and instead select the indigenous inhabitant candidates who were in the waiting list.
The federation pointed out that the results declared on ‘22-2-2018’ however appeared that the selected candidates were ‘against the aspiration and voice of the student community’.
On the issue of the post-matriculation scholarships, it reminded the chief minister that although the government gave an assurance to disburse the stipends through the ‘Chief Secretary Office on 7thDecember’, around 12,000 students’ are yet to receive the stipends for the 2016-2017.
The federation also reminded the chief minister to make changes in the current Inner Line Permit system existing in the state.
“The influx of non-locals and illegal immigrants into the state and the lack of stringent implementation of the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation (BERF) Act of 1873 and the provisions of BERF Act 1873 being too old and many of its provisions of the Act becoming irrelevant in our present context, the NSF through its Representation Ref No. NSF-CS/Memo-1/17-19 wrote to the Chief Secretary on the 4-10-2017 but the Federation is yet to receive any response,” it stated.
The NSF also apprised that the introduction of Aadhaar/UID number as an ‘imposition’ and is a ‘big threat to Naga customary law and identity’.
“It is nothing but a direct challenge of privacy threatening even the idea of Nagas right to self-determination. Imposing of such drastic nationalising policy upon the Nagas pending the final Indo-Naga solution is thus inimical to the process of Indo-Naga Peace Dialogue”, it further stated.
The federation stated that Nagaland state with special provisions in the Constitution of India vide Article 371(A) provides the NLA with special powers whether to extent any Act of Parliament to the state. So it is the ‘bounden duty’ of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly to ‘defend, protect, uphold and advance the sanctity of this special status conferred by the Constitution of India and all the more so as the right to self-determination is the inalienable right of the Nagas’.
The federation also claimed that the enforcement of Aadhaar is ‘aggressively being pursued only in some selected states of Northeast’ for reasons best known to the Government of India.
On the issue of irregular or ‘backdoor’ appointments the federation appealed to the chief minister to initiate inquiry in those departments that were violating the Office Memorandum of June 6, 2016 that had banned ‘all forms of appointment’ in the state.
Not to be left alone on the issue of the road condition in the state the federation appreciated the government for the decision to repair and renovate the existing roads. At the same time it appealed to the chief minister for strict supervision to ensure ‘quality workmanship.
