Phangnon Konyak is Nagaland's first woman Rajya Sabha MP

Kohima, Apr 1 : S Phangnon Konyak was on Thursday elected unopposed as the Rajya Sabha member from Nagaland. With the tenure of incumbent Rajya Sabha MP from Nagaland K G Kenye ending on April 2, the election was scheduled to be held on Thursday.

Returning Officer, Biennial Election to the Council of States, Khruohituonuo Rio informed that as there was only one candidate till the last date for filing nominations, no poll was conducted. Therefore, Konyak has been declared duly elected unopposed to fill up the vacancy in the Rajya Sabha for the State of Nagaland, she said. She is the first woman from the state to get a berth in Parliament's Upper House.

Konyak, the president of BJP Nagaland Mahila Morcha, who stood as the consensus candidate of the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA), is also the first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member from Nagaland to be sent to Parliament.

"S Phangnon Konyak sponsored by the BJP has been declared duly elected uncontested to fill the seat in the Council of States [Rajya Sabha] from Nagaland State, the term of which is due to expire on 2nd April 2022," chief electoral officer V Shashank Shekhar said in a press release. In the 60-member assembly, NDPP has 21 MLAs, NPF 25, BJP 12 and two Independent MLAs, all of whom joined hands in September 2021 to form UDA for facilitating an early solution to the vexed Naga political dialogue.

Congratulating Phangnon Konyak on being elected unopposed, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio expressed confidence that she will represent Nagaland state exceptionally well. Rio also wished her the best for a successful tenure. "It's a great journey for any women of Nagaland… it's historical" said BJP Nagaland president and cabinet minister Temjen Imna Along. Konyak is in Delhi and could not be reached for comments.

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Nagaland: Partial lockdown from April 30. What is allowed, what's not

People wear face masks and stand in front of a shop in Kohima

Nagaland on Tuesday reported 207 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike in the year so far

Kohima: Amid, the surge in Covid cases across the country, Nagaland cabinet Tuesday decided to impose partial lockdown with stricter rules in the state from April 30 to May 14, news agency PTI reported. "Fresh guidelines for the lockdown will be issued on April 29," the advisor for IT, science and technology, Mmhonlumo Kikon said.

Partial lockdown in Nagaland from April 30: What is allowed, what's not

• During the partial lockdown schools, colleges, educational institutions and hostels will remain closed in the state.
• Online education will be permitted and encouraged.
• All cinema halls, swimming pools, gymnasiums, entertainment parks, auditoriums, sports complexes, stadiums and similar places will remain closed throughout the period.
• Public gatherings will be permitted outside the containment zones, but they will not be more than 30 per cent of the total capacity of the venue or a maximum hundred people, whichever is lower.
• Places of worship will be permitted to open outside the containment zones, with 30 per cent of the maximum capacity of the venues, he said.
• Such gatherings should strictly adhere to COVID-19 appropriate behaviour like wearing masks, social distancing, and regular washing of hands.

Nagaland on Tuesday reported 207 new COVID-19 cases, the highest single-day spike in the year so far, increasing the tally to 13,445, a health official said.

NSCN (IM) objects to Assam Rifles outpost near its Nagaland camp

NSCN said the outpost was set up in ‘blatant violation’ of the ceasefire grounds rules

The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland or NSCN (IM) has objected to an outpost of the paramilitary Assam Rifles near its council headquarters at Hebron near Nagaland’s commercial hub Dimapur.

The outpost was set up in “blatant violation” of the ceasefire ground rules, the extremist group said in a statement issued on Saturday evening. The outfit had declared ceasefire with Indian armed forces in July 1997.

The publicity wing of the NSCN (IM) said one of the clauses in the ceasefire ground rules was that the Centre would not establish any base or facility of the armed forces on the Dimapur-Hebron road. It asked New Delhi to ensure that the peace agreement was respected by moving the Assam Rifles outpost out of the area.

“The checking of commuters at Doyapur (on the Dimapur-Hebron road) is completely against the ongoing and longest peaceful political negotiation… It has been almost two years since the Assam Rifles personnel began stationing at Doyapur,” the NSCN (IM) said, seeking the withdrawal of the outpost “in the larger interest of the Naga peace process”.

The Ministry of Home Affairs exercises control over the Assam Rifles, Indian’s oldest paramilitary force, but the officers of the force come from the Army.

The peace process between the Centre and NSCN (IM) has been hanging fire for more than two decades now. The talks appear to have been stuck on the issues of a separate flag and constitution for the Naga-inhabited areas.

Nagaland begins integrated settled farming project

The pilot project has been launched at Boke-Botsa under Kohima district, where eight departments and a public undertaking are converging for the first time to work with the village community

By Alice Yhoshü

The Nagaland government has begun work on an innovative model of cluster agricultural development, Naga Model Integrated Settled Farming (NISF).

The pilot project was launched at Boke-Botsa under Kohima district, where eight departments and a public undertaking – agriculture, sericulture, horticulture, animal husbandry and veterinary science, water resources, fishery and aquatic resources, land resources, soil and water conservation, and the Nagaland beekeeping and honey mission – are converging for the first time to work with the village community.

Covid-19-induced lockdowns in 2020, which highlighted the gap in production and access to food, prompted the state government to look at the agricultural and allied sector in a new light. Chief minister Neiphiu Rio also said in his recent budget speech, “The agricultural and allied sectors are going to be the most important aspect of the state government’s strategy towards achieving a self-sustaining economy”.

The project is based on the concept of settled farming because farming in most of the Naga villages still sees villagers living on hilltops for security, while their fields are located at the foothills. The settled farming concept looks to change this approach, saving the farmers the commuting time with the activities closer home.

According to agriculture production commissioner (APC) Nagaland, Y Kikheto Sema, the NISF pilot project area is slightly over 1,000 acres involving 145 farmers or landowners. Several samples of soil have been sent for health testing for agricultural purposes. Mapping of the area was carried out in November 2020 and farmers’ activities have already commenced in February. Road construction around the project site has also been completed.

The government is also establishing a farm-to-market chain for marketing linkage and storage that will help farmers sell their produce in a bigger market. Sema said many of the Central government schemes were devised as per the conditions of the mainland states, while the topography and system of cultivation in Nagaland is different, making the schemes unsuitable for Naga farmers.

Jhum, or shifting cultivation, though not economically viable and ecologically sustainable, is a major practice in the state. Sema said this practice was ultimately reducing the state’s forest cover and at the same time, making it difficult for the department(s) to connect with the farmers in consecutive cycles. He expressed hope that the NISF model would address these challenges.

In the pilot project, the state government is looking to establish an organic vegetables market, about 200 fisheries, a commercial nursery, seed banks to preserve and promote traditional seeds, compost marketing, farmers training institution, custom hiring and repairing of farming tools and machinery.

The aim is to turn the project into a model farming township, and ultimately a business model.

Also Read | ‘Reckless’: Naga group on governor RN Ravi’s peace talks concluded statement

“If it (the NISF pilot project) is successful, we will implement it in all districts. But its success also depends on all the stakeholders,” Sema stated.

“The main aim of the project is to start an ecosystem of farming. If it is successful, it will not only give an entirely new direction to Nagaland, but to other states in the country as well – to lead the way for the next generation,” says Richard Belho, the project consultant. He admitted that the pilot was being started on a research and experiment basis, but was hopeful that it would take off well and attract the educated younger generation back to the field.

“We never had a proper market structure. The activities introduced by various agri and allied departments often overlap with the farming community’s, thereby resulting in having to shelf the new activities after a few years of trial. With NISF, we are looking at sustainability- first for the farmer, then the village community, and finally the market,” Belho said.

He said the departments will track the activities and document their successes and failures so that the future models can learn from the pilot project, he added.

“If implemented properly, this project will enable farmers to multiply their production, become a contributing factor towards sufficiency and even export beyond the village. The projects are different from our normal practice as, for instance, the fishery ponds are being widened, scientific testing of soil is being done to assess suitability of crops etc.,” says Kechangulie Kense, one of the farmer-landowners at Boke-Botsa. He said he has taken up fishery and horticulture.

“Farming was not an option earlier, but this settled farming project has changed my opinion and I want to seriously get involved in it,” Kense said.

Another farmer and a village elder, Pfheliezhü, said he is upbeat about the project.

The first impact and output from the project is expected within the next three to six months. However, the actual output will be the result yielded in the next three years.

‘Taxation’ by armed groups forcing businesses out: Nagaland trade body

Almost a year after Nagaland Governor R.N. Ravi poked the State government for letting “armed gangs” reign and carry out “gunpoint extortions”, the State’s largest trade body has warned of such groups driving businesses out.

The Dimapur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), based in Nagaland’s commercial hub, said “unabated taxation” by the government and “Naga political groups (NPGs)” — a euphemism for armed extremist groups — had made many traders shift base to Assam.

The traders have been forced to exit Nagaland because they have had enough of paying 50-75% of their profit margin to the NPGs, the DCCI said in a statement issued on Saturday evening.

While Assam has gained, the business volume of Nagaland has shrunk by 60-75%, the DCCI said as it advised the State government to wake up to this alarming development and try to regain the market lost.

The BJP is the minor partner in the alliance government headed by Neiphiu Rio of the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party.

The trade body said the business scenario in Nagaland has hit its lowest ebb because of being taxed heavily. “If the State government and the NPGs do not take immediate corrective steps, business in Nagaland is heading towards a point of no return,” it warned.

The DCCI gave the example of Manipur-bound businesses that shifted to Silchar in southern Assam over the last few years. These businesses depended on goods and services to and from Manipur via the highway linking Dimapur and Manipur capital Imphal.

These businesses are now focussed on the alternative highway to Imphal, via Jiribam bordering southern Assam. “Consequently, the chain-support business such as hotels, transport and wayside dhabas in Nagaland have been hit hard,” the DCCI said.

The trade body also said the number of monthly train wagons arriving at the Dimapur railway station has come down to a ‘miserable’ 20 from 120 a year ago. The number of trucks entering Nagaland has similarly reduced drastically, it said.

“In this age where consumers are highly aware of their rights, and with the GST regime in place, any GST product being sold above MRP is near impossible and also an offence, and hence the business community in Nagaland sells any products on MRP.”

But while traders in Nagaland get the same profit margin as their counterparts elsewhere in the country, they have to shell out 50-75% of it in ‘taxes’ to the NPGs on average, the DCCI said.

Is Nagaland Reviving Prickly Cages for Offenders

  By Rahul Karmakar

Made of logs of a tree that irritates the skin, these cages are prescribed by customary laws for shaming law-breakers

Some villages in Nagaland are trying to revive a traditional form of punishment that seeks to check crime with an itch in time.

Social offenders or violators of Naga customary laws have over the ages dreaded a cramped, triangular cage made from the logs of an indigenous tree that irritates the skin.

The dread is more of humiliation or loss of face within the community or clan than of spending at least a day scratching furiously without any space to move.

Such itchy cages are referred to as khujli ghar in Nagamese — a pidgin lingua franca — but each Naga community has its own name. The Aos, one of the major tribes of Nagaland, call it Shi-ki that means flesh-house.

“A few villages where traditional practices are very strong still prescribe this form of punishment, a deterrent for offenders of various shades, including robbers and drug addicts. Many villages are trying to revive it,” Sanen Pongen, the chairman of Chuchuyimlang village council in Mokokchung district told The Hindu.

The cage is usually placed at a central spot in the village, usually in front of the morung or bachelor’s dormitory, for the inmate to be in full public view.

“The cage is made of the logs of Masang-fung, a local tree that people avoid because of the irritation it causes. It does not affect the palm but people who make the cages have to be careful,” Mr. Pongen said.

A prickly cage usually accommodates one offender —invariably a male — who barely has space to sit for 24 hours or more than a week, depending on the gravity of the offence. He can be fed by relatives periodically and let out to answer nature’s call during the punishment term.

“Some local modifications aside, customary laws of all the Naga tribes are similar. The khujli ghar too used to be common until lock-ups came up in police stations to house the offenders and some forms of punishment began clashing with those prescribed by Constitutional laws,” said Hesheto Chishi, a customary law and Naga folklore researcher based in Dimapur town.

As the founder of Indigenous Cultural Society, the only such in the northeast affiliated to the UNESCO, he has been working on codifying the customary laws and has co-authored Oral Narrative, a book on Sumi Naga laws published by the Ministry of Human Resources Development.

“It is not proper to view the itchy cages from the prism of modern laws. They have served a purpose for ages and have often proved to reform offenders, as identity and family or clan reputation is very important to a Naga,” Mr. Chishi, also a community chieftain, said.

Article 371(A) of the Constitution guarantees the preservation of the Naga customary laws. The State also funds the customary courts in villages and towns where cases — mostly dealing with land litigation, money-lending and marital disputes — have a high rate of prompt disposal.

Nagaland Air Cargo Services Launched

 

Tweeted by @Neiphiu_Rio

Nagaland yesterday launched its first air cargo services from Dimapur airport. Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio officially flagged off the service, a joint initiative of Department of Horticulture, Nagaland and Airport Authority of India with Air India and Indigo as airline partners.
 
Chief Minister Rio said the introduction of air cargo service is a long felt need for the state as many of the products from the state go wasted. Regional Executive Director, Airport Authority of India, North East region, M. Suresh said the AAI is planning to construct a new terminal building including cargo service terminal at Dimapur with all modern facilities.

New ‘frontier district’ Noklak inaugurated in Nagaland

 Noklak is located along the international boundary with Myanmar and connects India with other east and south east Asian countries

By Alice Yhoshü

JAN 21, 2021: Nagaland’s political map underwent a major change on Wednesday after chief minister Neiphiu Rio inaugurated Noklak as the state’s 12th district at an official event held at the public ground, Noklak headquarters. The new district was carved out of Tuensang district.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Rio, while conveying his best wishes to the people of Noklak, encouraged them to uphold a competitive spirit and to co-operate with the government for all-round development.

Noklak is located along the international boundary with Myanmar and connects India with other east and south east Asian countries. The chief minister tagged the new district as the “frontier district” and asked the people of Noklak to safeguard and to protect the region.

Meanwhile, vice-president of India M Venkaiah Naidu released a video on Noklak via video conference and extended his best wishes to the new district.

Nagaland’s offbeat experiences

A divine destination

Nagaland is one of India’s most charming states, located in the northeastern part of the country. The state is most reputed for its Hornbill Festival that is celebrated each year, and tourists visit from all over the country. However, the state also has some unique experiences, tastes, and places that are really the most rewarding for a traveller. If you ever want to go offbeat in the northeast of India, head to Nagaland.

​Land of the Headhunters

The image of a tattooed headhunter is a world apart from anything we have ever known. Nagaland is home to numerous old tribes, and the Konyak Naga tribe is one such fascinating tribe. The distinct tattoos on the faces of the members of this tribe are earned after they take the enemy's heads. Today, the headhunters certainly do not go on a hunt, but this extraordinary tradition is a gem of Indian culture.

​Natural paradise

Nagaland is still a very pristine land, thanks to the state and its people who have kept its best interests at heart. While commercialisation has entered the state, Nagaland is still inherently natural. So the state is full of nature’s bounty, at places such as the Dzukou Valley, or the Shilloi Lake, you will find yourself coming in touch with nature.

​Unique cuisine

Naga cuisine has spread across the country today, earning quite a good reputation. Across New Delhi, there are numerous Naga restaurants serving authentic delicacies. The food of Nagaland includes some unique things such as axone, or fermented soya bean, bamboo shoots, dry fish among others. Pork meat is one of the main foods of the state, which is cooked in various ways. But if you get the chance, you must try the smoked pork of Nagaland.

​Rural tourism

Experience the best of rural tourism in Nagaland, especially in a place such as Tuophema village. The place has been developed for tourism. Ethnic homes, museums, and Naga delicacies await you here. You can get a detailed understanding of the Naga culture, and soak in the glories of rural life. You can also attend the Angai Sekrenyi Festival here, which is celebrated each year in the month of February.

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