Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio on Friday has assured to provide all assistance to uplift Eastern Nagaland Peoples Organization (ENPO) areas and bring the people of these districts at par with rest of the State.
Rio said this during the inauguration of Department of Under Developed Areas (DUDA) directorate building in Kohima on Friday, according to reports.
The chief minister exuded confidence that DUDA would come out with more programmes to empower the people of ENPO areas and facilitate all-round development.
He also expressed optimism that the department would focus on development in the four districts and reiterated that the department was created to strengthen and improve infrastructure in Eastern Nagaland.
Over the years, the chief minister said the department made tangible progress through its programmes under schemes like Under Developed Areas Programme (UDAP) and Border Area Development Programme (BADP).
He said currently the department was manned by 76 staff – 44 from DUDA cadre and remaining 32 from the engineering wing and treasuries – and hoped that the department would have its own full-fledged cadre in the near future.
Stressing on the fact that Mon district was the most backward in the State having lowest literacy rate and economic growth, Rio said road development, institutional buildings and drinking water supply system were developed at a cost of Rs 45 crore.
The chief minister said 245 villages benefited under BADP funded by the union home ministry, while DUDA had set up four computer centres in Tuensang, Mon, Longleng and Kiphire district headquarters in collaboration with NIELIT with latest equipments and teaching facilities where 1,280 youth of Eastern Nagaland were trained in computers.
Rio said development of Anghya Brand and Anghya Marketing Network launched on January 26 this year were conceptualised as a handholding activity of the department to support the capacity building programmes of Eastern Nagaland.
Rio further said that the new building would be the epicentre of various programmes and policies, and for the people of ENPO to voice out their needs and aspirations collectively.
He also appealed to officials of the department to ensure proper maintenance of the new building and begin a work culture for the betterment of the State.