India News | On Statehood Day, CM Expresses Gratitude to Creators of Nagaland

Kohima, Dec 1 (PTI) Nagaland celebrated its 58th Statehood Day on Tuesday with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio remembering with "immense gratitude" all those leaders who by their "sacrifices" ensured the creation of the state.

It was on this day in 1963 that the then president, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, inaugurated Nagaland as the 16th state of the country. In view of the pandemic, the day also marked the first-ever virtual inauguration of Hornbill Festival, which celebrates the rich culture of Nagaland and is a platform to display its cultural legacy.

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In his address during the main celebration at Secretariat Plaza here, the chief minister said, "We have significant and enduring achievements to show in every field. We have seen development and progress, and the quality of life enjoyed by our people has seen a marked improvement, though many challenges still remain.

"As we celebrate this historic day, we remember with immense gratitude all those leaders, who by their sacrifices, foresightedness and determination ensured the creation of Nagaland state with special constitutional provisions".

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While the state has been making every effort for all- round progress in all spheres, the quest of the people for the final solution to the long-standing Naga political issue, has also continued all along, Rio said.

"The long journey towards the final solution has passed many stretches and milestones", he said while expressing hope that this journey is finally reaching its ultimate destination.

"We all are aware that the negotiations between several Naga political groups and the Government of India have seen a breakthrough with common ground being reached on various issues. We expect everyone to continue with the same spirit of understanding and oneness for moving forward to the eventual solution without any delay," Rio said.

The chief minister said that on October 15, the state government had convened a consultative meeting with representatives of all the tribal hohos, civil society organisations, political parties, ex-parliamentarians and public leaders.

"It was reiterated to every stakeholder, that there will be only one solution to the Naga political issue," he said.

This year has also seen a crisis of enormous magnitude in the form of COVID-19 pandemic, the chief minister said, lauding the exponential jump in the testing capacity which is necessary to break the chain of transmission of the disease.

"Our preparations for combating the pandemic had been initiated early. We took every possible step to further develop and improve our entire health infrastructure. In a matter of a couple of months we managed to go from a state with nil testing facility to 2,600-3,000 testing capacity per day," he said.

The chief minister claimed that there has been a substantial improvement in the health infrastructure to deal with COVID-19.

He cited an increase in the number of ventilators in government-run hospitals from 14 in March to 145 in November.

The number of beds in isolation wards, ICU and non-ICU wards, in COVID hospitals, and COVID Care Centers has also increased in the last eight months, Rio said. Doctors, dental surgeons, nurses, research scientists and paramedical personnel were recruited in large numbers to cope with COVID-19.

Nonetheless, people should also be aware that the threat of the pandemic still exists, and the state cannot afford to lower its guard any time soon, the chief minister said.

"We have to unfailingly continue wearing masks, maintain social distancing, wash hands regularly, and adhere to the health advisories and standard operating procedures issued by the government," he said.

The chief minister also highlighted various initiatives of the government towards enhancing skills and employability of Naga youths returning from other states, reforms undertaken in agriculture and allied sectors during the pandemic, besides efforts for providing online education.

"We as a state have come a long way since its creation as we have been able to build good capabilities in every sector, and our unified response in combating COVID-19 is a testimony of it," he said.

However, there are many sectors where a lot remains to be done, Rio said.

During the day, the Raj Bhavan organised a special programme to unveil the bust of the president of Naga Peoples Convention (NPC) Dr Imkongliba Ao.

Meanwhile, the Eastern Naga Students Federation (ENSF), comprising six major tribes, boycotted the celebrations demanding fulfilment of its six-point charter of demands, including 45 per cent reservation in government jobs in the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)