Nagaland taking baby steps to attract investors: Chief Secretary J Alam

Mokokchung, 22 June (MTNews): Chief Secretary of Nagaland, J Alam, stated that although Nagaland is not an industrially advanced state, it is gradually taking baby steps to attract investors.

During a review meeting on the PM GatiShakti National Master Plan, Alam highlighted the presence of homegrown entrepreneurs in the state and expressed optimism that with the right support and guidance, these entrepreneurs will experience accelerated growth.

The review meeting, held at the Secretariat Hall, Civil Secretariat on 21 June 21 was chaired by Special Secretary, Logistics Division, Department of Promotion of Industry & Internal Trade (DPIIT), Sumita Dawra. Chief Secretary Alam emphasized that GatiShakti is a project highly valued by the Prime Minister of India and, therefore, Nagaland is taking it seriously. He noted that significant progress has been made, with 22 departments providing layers of data, which he regarded as a significant achievement.

According to Alam, PM GatiShakti involves more than just developing data layers for planning purposes. It encompasses various aspects, including logistics policy and infrastructure. He also mentioned that several projects have been sanctioned for Nagaland, and they are progressing well. He expressed gratitude to the Ministry officials, such as Ms Dawra, for their visits, which demonstrate the Indian government’s commitment to Nagaland.

Sumita Dawra highlighted the importance of mapping warehouses during her interaction with officials regarding the GatiShakti project. She suggested that the Government of Nagaland should map areas with high production along village, district, and national roads to improve connectivity and facilitate the production of goods.

Dawra emphasized that the government should prioritize industrial areas and expressed satisfaction with the data upload, emphasizing the significance of data quality.

Kekhrievor Kevichusa, Commissioner and Secretary, Industries & Commerce, shared that the State of Nagaland submitted five projects worth Rs. 35.00 crore to DPIIT during the 8th Screening Committee meeting on the Annual Action Plan held on 30 September, 2022 which were approved under the SASCI scheme (PM GatiShakti related Expenditure PART-II) by the Screening Committee of DPIIT.

Kevichusa further informed that an amount of Rs. 28.45 crore was sanctioned by the Department of Expenditure, Ministry of Finance, and these projects are currently under implementation. The approved projects include the development of three modern aggregation centers at Longnak, Changtongya, and Pfutsero, one warehouse cum distribution center at Meluri, and the establishment of the GatiShakti Data Centre in Kohima.