The year’s first meeting of the Administrative Heads of Departments (AHoDs) and Heads of Departments (HoDs) was held on January 16 at the Nagaland Civil Secretariat Conference Hall, Kohima.

At the meeting, the Chief Secretary Dr J Alam, IAS, reminded the departments about the upcoming Budget Session, and urged all the departments to provide innovative suggestions for the budget proposals. He said that the government is looking at new initiatives that will ensure better delivery of services to the people and which will yield positive changes. He instructed all departments to submit their innovative initiatives within a week to the Finance Department. He also requested all the AHoDs to bring about improvements in attendance in their respective departments to improve service delivery to citizens.
The Chief Secretary also asked all AHoDs and HoDs to constantly monitor and update their websites regularly. He underscored the significance of providing a positive user experience on departmental websites.
Recognizing that citizens rely on these platforms for information, he stressed the importance of ensuring that the websites provide a user-friendly experience.
Highlighting the Chief Secretaries’ Conference held in December 2024 in New Delhi, chaired by the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, the Chief Secretary informed the gathering that Nagaland’s presentation during the Conference focused on the creative economy and tourism sector. The presentation highlighted Nagaland’s services sector, including the music industry, Hornbill Festival, homestays, and unique start-ups. The unique initiatives of the State were appreciated by the Prime Minister, he informed.
Alam said that the Chief Secretary’s Conference focused on innovation. Nagaland’s initiative in setting up a Center of Excellence in foreign languages, where people are being taught Japanese, found resonance with the Prime Minister and other States, he said. Alam hoped that the Center would grow in strength and help many more Nagas acquire skills.
Earlier, the Chief Secretary in his opening remarks lauded all the departments for doing a commendable job at the 25th edition of the Hornbill Festival, which was a grand success despite all odds. The Chief Secretary remarked that the traffic management, sanitation, power, and water facilities during this edition of the Hornbill Festival were better than in previous years. The departments had worked under a very tight schedule of weeks to complete their assigned tasks. He complimented the participating departments for their initiatives during the festival.
Dwelling on the upcoming budget session, Additional Chief Secretary and Finance Commissioner Sentiyanger Imchen, IAS, urged the departments to focus on the inclusion of people-oriented initiatives in their respective departmental activities.
Home Commissioner Vyasan R IAS chaired the meeting, where various AHoDs and HoDs shared their views. (With DIPR inputs)