Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 3
The Nagaland Legislative Assembly (NLA) on Wednesday unanimously resolved to appeal to the Government of India to urgently review and withdraw the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime presently applicable to the State of Nagaland and restore the relaxation that had earlier been in operation.
After a government resolution in this respect moved by Nagaland Deputy Chief Minister Y Patton and discussion at the 9th session of the 14th NLA, the House appealed to the Government of India to give urgent and favourable consideration to the collective voice of the elected representatives and the people of Nagaland and take appropriate measures for the complete withdrawal/relaxation of the Protected Area Permit regime from the State.
The House appealed the Government of India to take into consideration the prevailing peaceful environment in Nagaland, the developmental aspirations of its people, the importance of tourism and investment to the State’s economy, and the aspirations of Naga youth for greater opportunities and participation in India’s growth story.
The House affirmed that the Government and the people of Nagaland remain committed to national security, peace and stability, and assured the Government of India of the State’s fullest cooperation in putting in place appropriate technology-driven and institutional mechanisms for the registration and monitoring of foreign nationals visiting Nagaland.
“The House is of the considered view that regulatory arrangements which have outlived their developmental relevance should not become barriers to economic opportunity, employment generation and Nagaland’s fuller participation in the national and global economy,” the resolution adopted at the Assembly session stated.
The resolution stated that Nagaland is today a peaceful State and has emerged as an increasingly important destination for tourism, culture, investment, entrepreneurship and international engagement.
Tourism and the service and creative sectors have become important generators of employment and livelihood, particularly for the youth of the State.
The Hornbill Festival, the ‘Land of Festivals’ initiative and other tourism and cultural programmes have contributed significantly towards projecting India’s cultural diversity nationally and internationally and have created substantial economic opportunities for local communities and entrepreneurs.
The continuation of the PAP regime has created impediments to the growth of international tourism, investment, business engagement, cultural exchange and international partnerships in Nagaland.
The resolution stated that the Government of Nagaland remains fully committed to ensuring national security and maintaining appropriate systems for registration, regulation and monitoring of foreign nationals through modern technology and close coordination with the Government of India and its agencies.
The State Government, civil society organisations, tribal bodies, tourism stakeholders, entrepreneurs and other sections of Naga society have repeatedly expressed their desire for the withdrawal/relaxation of the PAP regime.
Nagaland today is peaceful: CM
In his remark, Nagaland Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio stated that Nagaland today is peaceful, stable and increasingly connected with the rest of Indi and the world.
“Nagaland of today is very different from the Nagaland of several decades ago. In fact, the security situation in the state of Nagaland over the last five years has been one of the most peaceful in the history of the state since its inception in 1963,” Dr Rio said.
The CM said that this borne out of the fact that number of incidents related to armed groups from 20024-2009 was a staggering 257, with the number of civilians casualty as high of 121 largely due to inter-factional clashes with the total number of security forces casualty numbering 6.
In contrast in the last preceding 5 years from 2021-26, the total number of incidents relating to UG activities has drastically reduced to only 8 incidents with 4 civilians casualties and 1 security forces casualty.
As regard to the rate of cognizable crime, in the years 2024, it stood at 61.6 per lakh population, the second lowest crime among states and UTs after Dadra & Nagar Haveli, compared to all India crime rate of 418.8 per lakh population as per National crime recorded date, he said.
Dr Rio said that the peaceful and conducive law and order situation are further reinforced by the fact that crime against women in the state of Nagaland is lowest in the country at 5.1 per lakh population as against the national crime rate of crime against women at 64.6.
The CM said that the continuation of the PAP regime has implication far beyond the inconvenience faced by tourists, adding that it affects tourism, investment, international partnerships, cultural exchanges, diplomatic participation and ultimately, affects the opportunities available to the own people.
Stating that Nagaland’s artists, musicians, sportspersons, entrepreneurs and cultural ambassadors today contribute not only to the state but to the diversity and image of India, Dr Rio said that the people of Nagaland deserve an environment where opportunities are expanded, not restricted.
Requesting the Government of India to take into consideration the peaceful environment in the state, the aspiration of the people, the importance of tourism and investment to economy and hopes for youth, Dr Rio said “We also assure the Government of India that Nagaland remains fully committed to national security, peace and stability. Security and development can go together. Progress and responsibility can go together. Openness and national interest can go together. Nagaland seeks peace, Nagaland seeks progress. Nagaland seeks investment.”
