Union minister encourages olive cultivation, water storage projects in Nagaland

Union Minister of State for Coal and Mines Satish Chandra Dubey on Saturday, January 10 visited Kohima district to review the on-ground implementation of central government schemes and assess the utilisation of public funds under the ‘Fortnightly Visit of Union Ministers to the North Eastern Region’ programme.

Addressing a welcome programme at the DC Conference Hall in Kohima, Dubey said the initiative reflected Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of ensuring sustained and focused attention on the North East, a region that had remained on the margins for decades. He said district-level reviews were essential to evaluate whether central schemes were being implemented effectively and whether intended benefits were reaching the people.

The minister noted that gaps could exist in implementation, including partial delivery of benefits, administrative shortcomings or possible misuse of schemes. “The objective of these visits is to identify such gaps, listen to concerns at the district level and ensure that issues are taken up with the concerned departments for corrective action,” he said, adding that findings from the visit would be pursued with relevant authorities to ensure tangible improvements.

Dubey expressed appreciation for Nagaland’s culture and social fabric, remarking that the state required comparatively less heavy policing than many other parts of the country. He said this reflected strong social discipline, mutual trust and community cohesion. He also highlighted Nagaland’s progress in organic farming, noting that food grain production with minimal use of chemicals placed the state ahead in sustainable agricultural practices.

Commenting on development indicators, the minister observed visible progress in infrastructure, particularly roads and highways, and said expanding railway connectivity was steadily integrating the North East with the rest of the country. He expressed optimism that development in Kohima and across the region would accelerate in the coming years.

Assuring continued engagement, Dubey said people were welcome to meet him in New Delhi for discussions and pledged to make sincere efforts to contribute to the district and the state’s development. He added that he would remain connected with the people and work for their welfare.

During the programme, officials from the Health and Nutrition, Agriculture, Power, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and Education departments made presentations on the status of various central schemes and highlighted implementation challenges. The Power Department briefed on ongoing works under the Kohima Electrical Division, while PHED officials outlined progress under the Swachh Bharat Mission, Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin) 2.0 and the Jal Jeevan Mission. The Education Department presented initiatives under the Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan and sought enhanced funding support.

During the discussions, Dubey encouraged the Agriculture Department to explore the potential for olive cultivation in Nagaland and advised officials to identify additional locations for water storage projects under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY).

Earlier in the day, the minister visited Rusoma village and inspected various development work sites.

During an interaction session, vice president of the Angami Public Organisation, Vikehielie Victor Khawakhrie, raised concerns over reported attacks on Christians and the destruction of churches in parts of the country. He said such incidents deeply hurt sentiments in Nagaland and urged the Centre to ensure that no community was suppressed on the basis of religion. He requested the minister to convey the concerns to the central government.