Centre Considering Funding To Proposed Frontier Nagaland Territory

The funds, according to the Centre's proposed plan, will be routed to the proposed new administrative territory through the state governor

Nagaland CM Neiphiu Rio with PM Narendra Modi

In a bid to remove hurdles to an acceptable solution to the ENPO demand for maximum autonomy to six eastern Nagaland districts, the Centre is understood to be considering direct funding to the proposed Frontier Nagaland Territory.

The funds, according to the Centre’s proposed plan, will be routed to the proposed new administrative territory through the state governor who will release it to the Territory administration within ten days.
If this comes into effect, it will leave no role for the state government in disbursal of funds.

It has been learnt that the home ministry’s draft proposal on the FNT to the Nagaland government includes a clause on the proposed financial model as the centre did not want to leave any room for disputes over disbursal of funds.

The common grouse of the autonomous councils in the northeast is that funds routed through the state government is parked by the state for a long time before they are released to the Councils in trances.

Proposed Move To Resolve Disputes Over Disbursal Of Funds

The idea is to try this model in place for 10 years before taking it up for review, if needed.

The draft proposal for the FNT has not been made public, and the ENPO has accused the state government of holding back the draft it received from the home ministry, instead of sharing its comments as desired by the union government.

Due to the deadlock over the proposed FNT, the ENPO had called for a boycott of the April-May Lok Sabha elections. Consequently, people in the six eastern Nagaland districts had refrained from voting.

Later, in June, the ENPO also called for a boycott of the urban local body polls in Nagaland, and there were no candidates in the fray for the 14 town councils under the six districts.

The six eastern Nagaland districts — Mon, Longleng, Tuensang, Noklak, Shamator and Kiphire — lag behind in most socio-economic parameters, leading to demands that a separate territory be carved out comprising these areas. The ENPO has been leading the movement since 2010.

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