The very real dividends of Naga peace

Development in Nagaland started under very challenging circumstances. Besides near absolute lack of any infrastructure, its remoteness and inaccessibility, the state was also engulfed in protracted and violent insurgency, which disrupted development efforts at every stage.

Nevertheless, in 40 years of statehood, Nagaland has made significant progress. The administrative reach has extended to the far corners of the state, which is one way of addressing the problem of ‘remoteness’. Important infrastructure has been laid and connectivity within the State has improved. Nagaland has also made tremendous progress in all major sectors of human development. Its literacy rate has reached 67.11 per cent from a mere 20.40 per cent in 1961. Its sex ratio, CBR, CDR, IMR and MMR rates are better than the national average. Life expectancy is 73.4 years. The per capita income has also climbed above the national average as per 2001 figures. However, the major challenges which confronted the state in the beginning still remain. Because of this, in most cases, the figures and statistics, even though impressive, do not reveal the complete picture. For instance, while the literacy rate is encouraging, the quality of education has suffered and the unemployment rates, especially of educated youth, are a real cause for concern. Problems related to infrastructure remain. There is also the question of mobilisation of internal resources, especially through exploitation of the state’s natural resources. Strategic planning and intelligent investments will be as important as finding sources of funding.

The state is at a crucial stage in its trajectory of growth. The rich social capital of Naga communities, the general resilience of the society, the varied and rich environmental capital and the mineral wealth are the inherent strengths to build upon for a faster and sustainable progress. Through various innovative policy interventions the state government is making efforts to tap into this rich social capital and to bring the people back into the centre of decision-making. One of them is the Nagaland Communitisation of Public institutions and Services Act 2002, where management of government assets is being turned over to the village communities. The people have responded favourably although the initiative is still in its infancy.

As Nagaland looks forward, the following areas have to be addressed:

• Development initiatives to improve infrastructure, living and working conditions.

• Special attention for the youth of Nagaland in the fields of technical education, recreation and gainful employment.

• New strategies for a ‘Developed Nagaland’.

• A purposeful model of interaction between the people, administrators and political leadership has to achieve this vision of a ‘Developed Nagaland.’

The last few years of ceasefire have given the people renewed hope. Naga society is now poised at a critical juncture. The time to build is now.

Excerpted from the State Human Development Report, Nagaland, 2004