Nagaland
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio

Dimapur: The Nagaland home department on Saturday said the state government has communicated its comments on the draft memorandum of settlement (MoS)-III for the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT)/Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) to the Union Ministry of home affairs.  

The department, in a release, said: “The letter was forwarded to the secretary, Union Ministry of Home Affairs, vide letter no. CON-1/G/1/2011(Vol-I) dated Kohima, the 6th November 2024.”

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It added that the point-wise comments that had been communicated on the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territory/Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority comprising six districts of Mon, Tuensang, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator in eastern Nagaland were approved by the state cabinet in its meeting held on October 30, 2024.

After the cabinet meeting, Nagaland power and parliamentary affairs minister and government spokesperson KG Kenye said the state cabinet discussed the long-pending demands of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) for FNT.

He said the meeting, attended by ministers and members from various departments, deliberated on addressing the concerns of ENPO, adding that it reflected the government’s commitment to advancing the process, particularly the ENPO’s interests while respecting the traditional and legal framework of Nagaland under Article 371 (A) of the Constitution of India.

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On September 22, the ENPO reminded the Nagaland government to give its comments on the highlights of the draft MoS on FNT.

According to reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs handed over the highlights of the draft MoS for FNT to the state government last December and the latter was supposed to give its comments before December 31, 2023.

It said the state government’s comments were needed to make way for the tripartite talks between the Centre, state government, and ENPO on the FNT issue at the earliest.

The ENPO has been demanding a separate FNT carved out of Nagaland since 2010, citing lack of development and negligence towards eastern Nagaland, comprising six districts, by successive state governments.

The tribes of eastern Nagaland, under the aegis of ENPO, boycotted this year’s Lok Sabha election and also the state urban local body polls to press for its demand.

According to reports, the fact-finding committee team of the Ministry of Home Affairs will scrutinize the state government’s feedback on the MoS before convening the tripartite talks between the state government, ENPO and the government of India.