Kohima, 12 September (MTNews): Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio informed the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly today that the drafting committee had submitted the draft Nagaland Municipal Act to the government on 25 August 2023.
He elaborated on how the state government, upon repealing the previous Municipal Act, had expedited the process of enacting a new law for municipal governance. To adhere to the Supreme Court’s directives and fulfill constitutional obligations, he said the government constituted a committee to draft the new Municipal Act on 11 August 2023. The drafting committee subsequently submitted the draft Municipal Act to the government on 25 August 2023, he said.
Chief Minister Rio recalled the consultative meeting held with Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and tribal bodies on 1 September 2023. During this meeting, the Advocate General informed attendees that certain provisions related to property taxes had been excluded, while the 1/3rd reservation of seats for women in ULBs, in compliance with Supreme Court directives, had been retained in the proposed legislation.
In light of these developments, the Cabinet made the decision on 8 September 2023 to present the new Nagaland Municipal Act 2023 for consideration. Consequently, the Nagaland Municipal Bill, 2023, which will undergo review by a select committee, was introduced during the Assembly session. (See details here).
Additionally, the Nagaland Goods and Services Tax (Seventh Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Nagaland Anatomy Bill, 2023 were introduced in the house today while the Nagaland Motor Vehicles Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the Nagaland Passengers & Goods Taxation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; and the North East Christian University (Second Amendment) Bill, 2023 were passed by the house.