A BRIEF PROFILE OF NAGALAND - Shodhgangashodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/27964/9/09_chapter 4.pdf · 81 Photo no. – 1 show-casing population of Nagaland comprising of

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CHAPTER FOUR

A BRIEF PROFILE OF NAGALAND.

This chapter is comprised of thirteen sections. Section 4.1 deals with the birth of the 16th state of Indian union-Nagaland. This includes eleven sub-sections such as location, population, linguistics, literacy, workforce, urban-rural distribution, transport and communications, health care, regional disparities, naga villages and settlement pattern. Section 4.2 discusses about the Political History of Nagaland. Section 4.3 describes the historical problems peculiar to Nagaland where it focuses on the issues like exemption of taxes and land ownership. Section 4.4 puts light on the Overall Economy and Sectoral Contributions. Section 4.5 comprised of Growth of State’s Net Domestic Product and Per Capita Income. This section also throws light on the aspect of agricultural development, industrial development and infrastructure development of the State. Section 4.6 presents an overview of Nagaland’s Human Development indicators. Section 4.7 has been devoted to find out various development constraints of the State. Section 4.8 dwells on the educational scenario of the State and reveals the aspects like the brief history of education in Nagaland and present education scenario of Nagaland. Section 4.9 presents the picture of administrative structure of education and the class structure in the school education in Nagaland. Section 4.10 deals with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and its notable achievements. Section 4.11 presents the picture of development of education and literacy in the state of Nagaland. Section 4.12 dwells in communitization of Elementary Education and Section 4.13 makes the concluding remarks of the chapter.

4.1 BIRTH OF THE 16TH STATE OF INDIAN UNION-NAGALAND

Since the Naga people’s unrest took a violent form leading to loss of

lives, the Government’s first priority was to restore normalcy and curb violence

after independence. The guardians of law and order had to act suitably to achieve

such a goal. Simultaneously, certain administrative changes were introduced.

Sincere attempts were made through these changes to fulfill aspirations of the

Naga people. This led to far-reaching measures at a fairly rapid pace. Through a

major change in political and administrative front, the district of Naga Hills was

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reconstituted as a Union Territory and renamed as Naga Hills Tuensang Area

(NHTA). Within next few years it rose to a full fledged state of the Indian Union.

S. Radhakrishnan, the then President of India inaugurated it on the 1st December,

1963 as a state. The Indian Union at that stage consisted of 15 states. Nagaland

thus became the youngest and the 16th state of the Indian Union.

When Nagaland started functioning as full-fledged state it was initially

governed by an interim body. But later on keenly contested elections were held.

The affairs of the state now are entirely managed by the elected representatives of

the people of Nagaland. Even the bureaucracy now mainly consists of Naga

officers and Naga personnel at all levels men and women (Thakar, 2002). The

creation of state is a major and note worthy political development in Nagaland

which can be described as a part of overall development process.

Political Map of Nagaland showing different districts

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4.1.1 Location

Nagaland is one of the ‘Seven Sisters’ of the North-Eastern region of

India. The State is bounded by Assam in the West, Myanmar on the East,

Manipur in the South and Arunachal Pradesh and part of Assam on the North.

There are 404 Km length of International Border with Myanmar. Nagaland lies

between 25°6´ and 27°4´ Northern Latitudes and between 93°20´ and 95º15´

eastern Longitudes. The State has an area of 16, 5279 sq.km. (which constitutes

0.5% of the country’s geographical area) with a population of 19,80,602 (0.2% of

the country’s population) as per 2011 Census. The number of Households in the

State was 1.49Lakh in 1981, which increased to 2.17Lakh in 1991. The State is

predominantly rural, with 82.26% of the population living in villages, generally

situated on high hilltops or slopes. Workers constitute 42.74% of the total

population of the State.

4.1.2 Population

As per 2001 Census, population of Nagaland was 19, 88,636 (0.2% of

India’s population) of which males form 10.42Lakh and females 9.47Lakh. The

provisional population of Nagaland is 19, 80,602 as per Census 2011. Out of this,

the male population is 10, 25,727 and 9, 54,895 are females, there by showing a

decrease of 9,434 persons from the population Census of 2001. This indicates a

negative growth rate of -0.47% during the decade from 2001-2011. This is the

first time in the history of Census in Nagaland that a negative growth rate of

population has been recorded. The decadal growth rate of population for the last

three decades has been more than 50% in the State. The State had also stood out

for having the highest decadal growth rate of population during the decades

1981-91 and 1991-2001.

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Photo no. – 1 show-casing population of Nagaland comprising of different tribes.

TABLE - IV.1

District wise distribution of population and its ranking (as per 2001 and 2011 Census)

Sl. No.

Name Of Districts

Total Population ( as per 2001 Census)

Rank in

2001

Total Population ( as per 2011 Census)

Rank in

2011 Male Female Total Male Female Total

1. Dimapur 166663 142361 309024 1 198163 181606 379769 1

2. Kohima 115609 103709 219318 4 140118 129945 270063 2

3. Kiphire 53403 48029 101432 10 37758 36275 74033 10

4. Longleng 64371 57210 121581 9 26588 24005 50593 11

5. Mokokchung 120929 111156 232085 3 100229 92942 193171 5

6. Mon 138753 121899 260652 2 132062 118609 250671 3

7. Peren 46642 44124 90766 11 49530 45424 94954 9

8. Phek 77141 71054 148195 8 83684 79610 163294 7

9. Tuensang 100904 90901 191805 5 101977 94824 196801 4

10. Wokha 83670 77553 161223 6 84429 81810 166239 6

11. Zunheboto 79056 74899 153955 7 71169 69845 141014 8

Nagaland 1047141 942895 1990036 0 1025707 954895 1980602 0

Source: Census of India 2011 Provisional Population Totals Paper 1 of 2011, Nagaland

Series 14.

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The above table no. IV.1 shows district wise distribution of population and its ranking (as per 2001 and 2011 Census) where it is revealed that the most populated district in the year 2001 and 2011 was Dimapur whereas the least populated district in 2001 was Peren but in 2011 it is Longleng.

Out of eleven Districts in Nagaland six Districts have recorded positive growth viz. Wokha, Dimapur, Phek, Tuensang, Kohima and Peren while the remaining five Districts – Mon, Mokokchung, Zunheboto, Longleng and Kiphire have shown negative growth of population. The highest decadal growth among the Districts is recorded in Dimapur at 23.13% closely followed by Kohima at 22.8%. Both the Districts have shown a growth rate above the National growth rate of 17.64%. Phek District has recorded a decadal growth rate of 10.19% followed by Tuensang at 5.81%, Peren at 4.61%, and Wokha at 3.11%.

Out of the five Districts that have recorded negative growth rates, the newly created Districts of Longleng and Kiphire have shown the largest decline, the former recorded a decline of 58.39% and the later 30.54% from 2001. The Districts of Mokokchung, Zunheboto and Mon have also shown negative growth rates of -16.77%, -8.79% and -3.83% respectively.

4.1.3 Linguistics

Nagaland is inhabited by 16 major tribes along with a number of sub-tribes. Ao, Angami, Chang, Konyak, Lotha, Sumi, Chakhesang, Khiamniungam, Kachari, Phom, Rengma, Sangtam, Yimchungrü, Kuki, Zeliang and Pochury are the major tribes. Each tribe is distinct and unique in character from the others in terms of customs, language and attire.

Photo no. 2 – A glimpse of Naga cultural dance

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The colourful and intricately designed costumes and ornaments, that were

traditionally worn, can easily distinguish each of the tribes and sub-tribes. The

multiplicity of tribes, within such a limited space, could be due to the fact that the

Naga ancestors migrated to the present location in different groups and they

remained confined to their ridges and mountainous terrain. This, subsequently,

resulted in their unique characteristic of appearing to be both one people and

many tribes, displaying both unity and diversity in their customs, traditions, attire

and political systems (Nagaland State Human Development Report, 2004).

Almost all the tribes of Nagaland have their own languages. Nagas speaks

of 60 different dialects belonging to Sino-Tibetan family of languages. The

traditional languages do not have any script of their own. The Christian

Missionaries used Roman script for these languages.

The presence of diversities in religious belief in the State of Nagaland

may be seen in the following table no. IV.2.

TABLE -IV.2

Different religions and the corresponding population

Sl.No. Name of the Religion Total population 1. Hindu 1,53,162 2. Muslim 35,005 3. Christian 17,90,349 4. Sikh 1,152 5. Buddist 1,356 6. Jain 2,093 7. Others 6,108

Source: SSA Annual Work Plan & Budget, 2010-2011, Nagaland. (Unpublished)

Christianity is the predominant religion of Nagaland. Out of the States

total population, 90.02% are Christians. The census of 2001 recorded the state's

Christian population at 1,790,349, making it, with Meghalaya and Mizoram, one

of the three Christian-majority states in India and the only state where Christians

form 90% of the population. The state has a very high church attendance rate in

both urban and rural areas. Huge churches dominate the skylines of Kohima,

Dimapur, and Mokokchung.

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In 1967, the Nagaland Assembly proclaimed English as the official

language of Nagaland and is the medium of instruction for education in the State.

Nagamese, a language from Indo-Aryan Assamese and local dialects is the most

widely spoken societal language. Every tribe has its own mother tongue but

communicates with other tribes in Nagamese. Each tribe is distinct in terms of

language, customs, culture and traditions, system of governance etc. Quite often

people mistakenly describe the Naga tribe languages as “dialects” but they are

not. Even within the same tribe language, the dialects are often so different as to

render communication impossible. It is because of such difficulties that English

has been made the official language and medium of instruction while

“Nagamese” (a kind of pidgin Assamese) has evolved into the common lingua

franca of the tribes. But each of the tribe languages continue to be spoken and

used, even on All India Radio (AIR) where specific timings have been worked

out for each of the major tribes.

4.1.4 Literacy

A person aged 7 years and above, who can read and write with

understanding in any language, is treated as literate. One who can only read but

cannot write and vice-versa is not treated as literate. Children below 7years (aged

0-6years), even if they can read and write with understanding in any language are

not treated as literates, so literacy rate is calculated by subtracting the population

in the age group 0-6 from the total population.

The literacy rate which was 17.91% in 1961, increased to 42.57% in

1981, 61.65% in 1991 and further increased to 67.11% in 2001 and in 2011 it

stands at 80.11% which is above the National level of 74.04%. Literacy by sex

shows that the rate for males has gone up from 71.16% in 2001 to 83.30% in

2011. A positive element here is the increase in the female literacy level, which

was 13% in 1961 but steadily increased to 39.9% in 1981, 61.92% in 2001 and to

76.69% in 2011.

All districts have shown remarkable improvement in literacy rates and

out of which Mokokchung District top the list with 92.68% literates followed by

Wokha (87.60%), Zunheboto (86.26%), Kohima (85.58%) and Dimapur

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(85.44%). Except Mon district (56.60%) all other districts have shown literacy

rates of more than 70%. Despite an increase of 14.77 percentage points from

2001 in literacy rates, Mon district finds its place at the bottom of the list.

The gap between the male and female literates in Nagaland is not as wide

as at the National level. While at the National level the gap is 16.68 percentage

points between male and female literates, it is only 6.60 percentage points in

Nagaland. Similar pattern is also observed across the districts with the smallest

gap of 1.81 percentage points recorded in Mokokchung district.

As per 2001 Census, the total population of Nagaland, the literacy percentage and

the literacy gap are presented in the following table:-

TABLE -IV.3

Total population, literacy rate and literacy gap in state of Nagaland (as per 2001 Census)

Sl. No.

Name of Districts

Total Population Literacy Percentage Literacy Gap

Male Female Total Male Female Total

1. Dimapur 166663 142361 309024 81.05 71.76 76.82 9.28

2. Kohima 115609 103709 219318 83.61 71.89 78.11 11.72

3. Kiphire 53403 48029 101432 55.60 43.67 49.98 11.93

4. Longleng 64371 57210 121581 48.05 41.15 44.82 6.90

5. Mokokchung 120929 111156 232085 86.03 81.61 83.92 4.41

6. Mon 138753 121899 260652 46.56 36.35 41.83 10.21

7. Peren 46642 44124 90766 72.06 59.39 65.92 12.67

8. Phek 77141 71054 148195 78.37 62.26 70.65 16.11

9. Tuensang 100904 90901 191805 59.69 49.58 54.93 10.11

10. Wokha 83670 77553 161223 85.35 75.32 80.55 10.02

11. Zunheboto 79056 74899 153955 73.74 64.57 69.28 9.18

Total 1047141 942895 1990036 71.16 61.46 66.59 9.71

Source: Statistical Handbook of Nagaland, 2008.

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The name of 11 (eleven) districts, blocks and villages in Nagaland are given in

the following table:-

TABLE -IV.4

Number of Districts, Blocks and Villages in Nagaland

Sl.No. Name of District No. of

Blocks No. of Villages/Habitations

1. Dimapur 4 268 2. Kohima 4 135 3. Kiphire 3 112 4. Longleng 2 58 5. Mokokchung 6 155 6. Mon 6 168 7. Peren 3 128 8. Phek 5 128 9. Tuensang 8 169 10. Wokha 5 147 11. Zunheboto 6 214

Total 52 1682


4.1.5 Workforce

The workforce constitutes 42.74% of the population in Nagaland. Though

in absolute numbers, the total number of workers has increased from 5.16Lakh in

1991 to 8.49Lakh in 2001, the percentage of workers to the population has

remained at 42.7%. However, among the workers, the share of main workers has

fallen from 42.29% to 35.62%, while the share of marginal workers has increased

from 0.39% in 1991 to 7.12% in 2001. The near stagnant proportion of workers

and increasing share of marginal workers is indicative of increased prevalence of

unemployment and disguised unemployment in the State. In Mon, Tuensang and,

Zunheboto, Wokha and Dimapur, there was a fall in the percentage of workers in

the districts over the period 1991-2001. Among the workers, 68.03% were

engaged in agricultural activities while only 2.12 % were engaged in household

industry and 29.18% constituted other workers during 2001.

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4.1.6 Urban-Rural Distribution

People living in rural areas constituted 82.3% of Nagaland’s population in

2001 as against 90% in 1971. This is an indication of the migration that is taking

place in the State from rural to urban areas. Though growth of urbanization and

economic growth are generally accepted as having a positive correlation, the high

rate of migration into urban areas also implies a need for policy focus on the

creation of employment opportunities as well as urban infra-structure to meet the

requirements of the growing urban population. During the decade 1991-2001,

there was a decrease in the percentage of urban population in the towns of Mon,

Mokokchung and Tuensang. This is an indicative of migration of urban

population from these towns to other towns, possibly for access to better urban

amenities and entrepreneurial opportunities. An urban management strategy,

specific to local needs is required for Dimapur and Kohima, which

accommodates majority (36% and 21.6% respectively) of the urban population of

the State. Besides, there is the usual presence of a floating urban population,

which the two regions attract because one is the main commercial centre while

the other is the State capital.

4.1.7 Transport and Communication

The railway network in the State is minimal. Broad Gauge run 12.84

Kms, National Highway Roads 365.3Kms and State Roads 1094.5 Kms. There is

one Airport in Dimapur which is 70 Kms from Kohima, the State Capital (SSA

AWP&B Nagaland, 2010-11).

It is very pitiful to state that communication and connectivity through

postal services, internet and telephone facilities in Nagaland are one of the

poorest in the country. Small towns and villages in almost all the districts are

deprived of modern amenities like internet and telephone facilities which have

caused a serious setback in the planning and implementation of developmental

schemes even today.

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4.1.8 Health Care

The infant mortality rate is 21 and the sex ratio in the state is 900 (as

compared to 933 for the Country). The crude birth rate and crude death rate are

17.4 and 5.0 respectively. Comparative figures of major health and demographic

indicators are as follows:-

TABLE- IV.5

Demographic, Socio-economic and Health profile of Nagaland

Sl. No. Item Nagaland 1. Total Population(Census 2001) (in million) 1.99 2. Decadal Growth (Census 2001) 64.53 3. Crude Birth Rate (SRS 2007) 17.4 4. Crude Death Rate (SRS 2007) 5.0 5. Total Fertility Rate (SRS 2007) NA 6. Infant Mortality Rate (SRS 2007) 21 7. Maternal Mortality Ratio (SRS 2007) NA 8. Sex Ratio (Census 2001) 900 9. Population below Poverty Line (%) 32.67 10. Schedule Caste Population (in millions) 0 11. Schedule Tribe Population (in millions) 1.77 12. Female Literacy Rate (Census 2001) 61.5


4.1.9 Regional Disparities On the whole, the level of socio- economic development in the western

regions of Nagaland is higher than in the eastern side. This is because contiguity

to Assam provides better connectivity while on the Myanmar’s side accessibility

still presents formidable problems.

The dynamics of poverty in Nagaland is quite different from other parts of

the country. Due to strong community spirit and social capital, the poor are

looked after and cared for by kith and kin and the community. As a result, there is

no case of starvation deaths and no one is shelter less. The government has

identified Mon and Tuensang districts as well as Meluri subdivision in Phek,

Bhandari in Wokha, Peren and Pughoboto in Zunheboto as its backward areas.

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These areas were ‘traditionally’ remote and inaccessible. Present Mon and

Tuensang districts were also part of the ‘un-administered areas’ during British

period. In order to expedite the process of development in the less developed and

remote areas, the State Government has created a new department for

underdeveloped areas.

4.1.10 Naga Villages and Settlement Pattern

The Nagas normally build their villages at high altitudes, perched like

fortresses on the highest points of hill-ranges and spurs from which the land

drops sharply down into the surrounding valleys. The choice of such strategically

advantageous sites dates from the days of head-hunting, when settlements had to

be easily defensible against raiders. The insecurity created by the fear of head-

hunting resulted in the isolation of villages, and a consequent development of

numerous cultural patterns and dialects confined to very small areas. Some

neighbouring villages speak such different languages that they cannot understand

each other. And each district generally has predominant concentration of one of

the major/minor tribes of the State, making the districts distinct in their socio-

political, traditional, cultural and linguistic characteristics.

Photo no. 3 – A house in a remote Naga village

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The villages consist of spacious houses built of broad wooden planks and

enhanced with carvings of buffalo-horns, pig-heads, women’s breasts, head-

trophies and other fertility symbols. Some of the houses, whose masters had

given expensive ‘feasts of merit’, are decorated with crossed badge-boards which

rise from the gables like the antlers of enormous stag. The Naga houses are

closely packed together. The roads through the villages are uneven but

communication is allowed in all parts of the village by numerous lanes which

traverse in all directions.

Photo no. - 4 Different types of houses of different Naga tribes

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In the earlier days, the construction of a house was a communal

responsibility. When an individual constructs a house, he was helped by all the

adult male members of the village. A noted speciality of a Naga village is its

bachelors’ hall(s) known as ‘Sochem’ in Chang dialect, these dormitories are a

characteristic feature of the Naga Society. They serve as dormitories for boys and

unmarried young men which is a focal point of social and ritual activities for all

the men of the village. The front porch of a Sochem often contains a wooden

gong up to 8 meters long, carved from the trunk of a single tree. During festive

occasions and head-hunting rites, baskets containing captured heads were hung

up on the gong and two lines of warrior-drummers, standing on boards at each

side, beat out an appropriate rhythm with wooden mallets.

Besides serving as a guard post, the ‘Sochem’ serves as a meeting place

for the boys and girls, a place in which these young people come together prior to

bedtime every night before their marriage, where guests are received and certain

community affairs are discussed and decided upon. Oral traditions, too, is kept

alive from one generation to the next through teaching of songs, dances and folk

tales and the example of the elders shape the personality of the young people in

harmony with the village way of life, developing their sense of love, loyalty,

disciplines, social responsibility and duty towards the village.

4.2 POLITICAL HISTORY OF NAGALAND

It is very interesting to note that the Nagas since British period have

strong feeling of nationalism, patriotism, integration and oneness and unification

among various tribes. Way back in 1918, Naga Club was established with a view

to unify the various tribes and also to sharpen their socio-political consciousness

which ultimately led to the formation of the first political platform of the Nagas

called ‘the Naga Tribal Council’(NTC) in 1945. After one year in 1946, the NTC

was changed to ‘The Naga National Council (NNC). The NNC declared

independence on 14th Aug.1947 just one day ahead of declaration of Indian

independence to indicate that the Nagas were independent and sovereign even

before India got its independence. Since then a good number of Naga youths

joined freedom movement headed by A.Z.Phizo under the banner of NNC.

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Inspite of the various measures offered by the Government of India like sixth

scheduled status, sixteen point proposals, interim Government under Nagaland

(transitional) regulation, 1961, and other special provisions, the Nagas continued

to demand for separate political entity. (SSA AWP&B Nagaland, 2010-11).

To pacify the political demand, the Government of India decided to create

the State of Nagaland and formally inaugurated by Dr. S.Radhakrishnan, the then

President of India on 1st December,1963 to be the 16th State of the Indian Union

and the 2nd State from North East India. The State was created under very

abnormal conditions. Its formation was preceded by unprecedented violence and

misery associated with the mass-based political movement. Being created out of a

political necessity, it was a well known fact that Nagaland would not be

economically viable for a long time. The effect of such a manner of creation of

the State is being felt very acutely today in the management of the finances of the

State. Side by side, the situation as prevalent at the time of the creation of the

State necessitated the provision of certain constitutional protection to allay other

apprehensions of the people regarding the protection and preservation of their

identity. This resulted in Article 317(A) of the Constitution of India. The

provisions and the manner in which it is being interpreted today is however

creating confusions, greatly affecting the development process (Jamir, 2002).

Above all, the political movement still continues which of late had become

increasingly violent disrupting the social processes. All these have had very

adverse effects on the entire growth and development process of the people and

the land.

4.3 SOME HISTORICAL PROBLEMS PECULIAR TO NAGALAND (a) Exemption of Taxes – On the issue of resources and finances,

peculiar fallout of the history of the creation of the State is the exemption from

taxation, particularly income tax. It is actually very difficult to imagine any

society that can exist or survive without taxation.

(b) Land Ownership – Article 371(A) has its positive aspect of

protecting the rights of a small group of minority people and preventing them

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from losing their identity through assimilation in the vastness of India. Its

interpretation or rather, misinterpretation relating to land ownership has been

another big constraint on the development process of the State (Jamir, 2002). The

inability to transfer land to non-inhabitants of Nagaland, is one of the main

deterrent to attract investment in the State.

Another issue related to land is the continuing customary and traditional

land tenure and ownership system. In this, the main casualty has been agriculture.

Land ownership remains confined to a very few percentage of the population of

any given village.

The other big impediment to development related to land ownership is the

issue of mortgage which is prerequisite for any investment. The inability to

transfer land to non-inhabitants of Nagaland, creates problem to the issue of

mortgage.

The third question related to land ownership pertains to the exploitation of

rich mineral resources. Oil which is found, at great cost, a few kilometers deep

down earth is claimed by the individual land owners who farm the land on the

surface above it. The natural resources of Nagaland by this definition cannot be

shared, benefiting all the people of Nagaland. The money required for its

exploitation will also not be forthcoming easily under the existing circumstances.

The fourth issue related to land is the continuing customary and

traditional land tenure and ownership system. In this, the main casualty has been

agriculture. Land ownership remains confined to a very few percentage of the

population of any given village. (Jamir, 2002)

4.4 ECONOMY AND SECTORAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Nagaland started the planned process of development much later than the

rest of the country. It missed out the benefits of the first three Five Year Plans.

The State has also been inhibited in its growth because of insurgency and much

of the scarce resources had to be spent on establishment costs. Given these

constraints the States rapid strides in planned socio-economic development,

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especially in the field of infra-structure and development indicators are

commendable.

Despite the progress made in a span of 48 years, Nagaland’s economy still

confronts many developmental challenges. Foremost among them is relative

isolation, the difficult terrain, inaccessibility to the rest of the world and

continued insurgency. These retards the State’s efforts towards industrial and

entrepreneurial development, private sector partnership in spearheading

development initiatives and all round regional planning. Remoteness and

inaccessibility are also the predominant cause for regional disparities in the State.

An index for Social and Economic Infra-structure by the Eleventh Finance

Commission, during 1999, ranked Nagaland, with an index value of 76.14, as the

seventh most remote state in the country. Nagaland’s remoteness is one of the

factors that has adversely impacted the spread of banking infrastructure,

availability of credit, and consequently industrial development in the State.

During 2001, Credit Deposit Ratio (CDR) for Nagaland was only 13.6, the lowest

in the country. The low CDR has hampered the ability of the State to break the

vicious circle of remoteness and inability to attract capital flows due to overall

resource deficiency, which is made worse by the presence of continuous

insurgency (Nagaland State Human Development Report, 2004). Thus, Nagaland

has been unable to attract key investments (Govt. and private) to develop infra-

structure and accelerate the growth of the economy.

If we look back at the forty-eight years of Statehood, beginning from a

scratch the state has made commendable achievement in the area of infrastructure

as can be seen from the table given below indicating some major areas of

development since Statehood.

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TABLE- IV.6

Select indicators of Development in Nagaland: 1962-63 and 2001-2002

Sl. No. Particulars Unit 1962-63 2001-02

1. Total length of road Km 837 9860 2. No. of villages covered Nos NA 1092 3. Water supply provided No. of Villages Nil 1010 4. Generation of electric power MW 0.20 29.00 5. Villages electrified Nos 6 1212 6. Schools Nos 603 1691 7. Literacy % 17.91 67.11 8. Enrolment in Primary Schools % NA 100 9. Hospitals and dispensaries Nos 11 449 10. Area under irrigation 000 Ha 1.51 65.63 11. Food grain production 000 Tons 61.82 292.50 Source: Keynote address by the Development Commissioner, Nagaland, delivered at the seminar

held at Kohima on 14th and 15th March 2002.

The figures in the table – IV.6 are impressive but despite this it remained

under-developed and still a long way to go even to catch up with the rest of the

country not to talk of the rest of the world. Therefore, today talking about looking

beyond the scheme of Plan funding and to evolve States own economic models of

development which will require the involvement of all – both the Government as

well as the people.

4.5 GROWTH OF STATE’S NET DOMESTIC PRODUCT AND PER CAPITA INCOME

It is observed that following a shift in working population from

primary sector to secondary and tertiary sectors, there is corresponding increase

in the share of secondary and tertiary sector in the composition of net domestic

product and per capita income. Therefore, the composition of net state domestic

product and per capita income may indicate the trend of structural change that

took place during the intervening period in the economy.

The sectoral share in the state’s net domestic product has undergone

significant changes. The share of primary sector had declined consistently from

48.07% in 1971 to 42.86% in 1981 and 29.07% in 1991, as agricultural sector

itself is most underdeveloped with traditional system of cultivation. Therefore, it

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could not contribute much to the state’s net domestic product though it absorbed

the maximum number of working population. The share of tertiary sector had

increased from 41.37% to 42.26% and 58.77% during the corresponding years.

Meanwhile the share of the secondary sector had fluctuated between 10% to 14%

(Jamir, 2002).

TABLE - IV.7

Gross State Domestic Product at Current Price by Industry of Origin from 1999-00 to 2006-07

(Rs. In Lakh) Sl No.

Industry 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 1 Agriculture 66612 94723 116678 136079 144227 159302 165676 166859 2 Forestry &

Logging 9817 10675 11223 11380 12488 13218 16286 19276

3 Fishing 2278 2318 2468 2590 1890 2327 2627 2990 Agri. and Allied 78707 107716 130369 150049 158605 174847 184589 189125 4 Mining &

Quarrying 49 118 238 319 369 386 394 404

a.Sub-Total of Primary Sector

78756 107834 130607 150368 158974 175233 184983 189529

5 Manufacturing 5291 5693 6460 7318 8083 8257 9054 12812 (i) Manu-

Registered 909 1009 1412 1627 1849 1737 1982 2987

(ii) Manu-Unregistered

4382 4684 5048 5691 6234 6520 7072 9825

6 Construction 27923 34976 42954 53296 55134 56270 63437 78564 7 Electricity, Gas

and Water Supply 4112 4686 5334 6133 7386 7623 8473 9610

b. Sub-Total of Secondary Sector

37326 45355 54748 66747 70603 72150 80964 100986

Industry 8 Transport,

Storage & Communication

45387 48409 52446 56969 61871 63782 66496 69833

(i) Railways 117 195 219 270 297 376 393 464 (ii) Transport by

Other Means 43675 46473 50475 54752 59387 61174 63735 65879

(iii) Storage 34 40 43 49 99 114 123 147 (iv) Communication 1561 1701 1709 1898 2088 2118 2245 3343 9 Trade, Hotels and

Restaurants 14375 15014 16767 17254 17830 18517 19817 22254

10 Banking and Insurance

3037 4763 5757 6236 7110 7373 8231 10192

11 RealEstate, Ownership of Dwellings and Business Services

30748 37972 41519 45796 57420 65372 67647 70064

12 Public Administration

43676 51440 58129 63594 65859 68980 77483 83516

13 Other Services 26922 29143 37273 39712 41567 42471 43426 51437 c. Sub-Total of

Tertiary Sector 164145 186741 211891 229561 251657 266495 283100 307296

14 State Domestic Product

280227 339930 397246 446676 481234 513878 549047 597811

15 Population ‘000’ 1850 1944 2045 2149 2259 2374 2495 2623 16 State Per Capita

Income (Rs.) 15147 17486 19425 20785 21303 21646 22006 22791

Source: Estimates of State Domestic Product of Nagaland from 1999-2000 and 2006-2007, Directorate of Economics and Statistics Nagaland, Kohima.

97

TABLE - IV.8 Net State Domestic Product at Current Price by Industry of Origin

from 1999-00 to 2006-07 (Rs. In Lakh)

Sl. No.

Industry 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 Agriculture 64987 93013 114615 133826 141549 156079 162085 162978

2 Forestry & Logging 9399 10219 10724 10815 11850 12548 15569 18583

3 Fishing 2051 2096 2160 2237 1499 1917 2084 2476

Agri. and Allied 76437 105328 127499 146878 154898 170544 179738 184037

4 Mining & Quarrying 39 95 189 266 304 328 332 345

a. Sub-Total of Primary Sector

76476 105423 127688 147144 155202 170872 180070 184382

5 Manufacturing 4570 4875 5552 6324 6942 6864 7393 10855

(i) Manu-Registered 675 743 1114 1306 1494 1323 1494 2400


3895 4132 4438 5018 5448 5541 5899 8455

6 Construction 27148 33409 41639 51526 53359 54673 61640 76463

7 Electricity, Gas and Water Supply

2309 2479 2579 2958 3724 3942 4524 4701


34027 40763 49770 60808 64025 65479 73557 92019

Industry

8 Transport, Storage & Communication

43843 46611 50491 54725 59535 59843 60661 62423

(i) Railways 48 122 141 179 190 239 245 300

(ii) Transport by Other Means

42621 45105 48988 53153 57626 57907 58609 59612

(iii) Storage 25 31 33 39 85 104 112 134

(iv) Communication 1149 1353 1329 1354 1634 1593 1607 2377

9 Trade, Hotels and Restaurants

13908 14451 16085 16642 17266 17972 19352 21683


2919 4579 5573 6046 6903 7152 7977 9874


28966 35885 38897 42739 53848 60993 62552 64278


35390 40830 45907 51897 52367 55682 60915 65505

13 Other Services 25451 27413 35271 37187 38271 39962 40292 47837

c. Sub-Total of Tertiary Sector

150477 169769 192228 209236 228190 241604 251749 271600


260980 315955 369686 417188 447417 477955 505376 548001

15 Population ‘000’ 1850 1944 2054 2149 2259 2374 2495 2623

16 State Per Capita Income (Rs.)

14107 16253 18077 19413 19806 20133 20255 20892


98

TABLE - IV.9 Gross State Domestic Product At Constant (1999-00) Price

By Industry Of Origin from 1999-00 To 2006-07 (Rs. In Lakh)

Sl. No.

Industry 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 Agriculture 66612 90593 103486 117998 124986 136542 138870 139661

2 Forestry & Logging

9817 9891 10172 10276 11181 11678 14384 16894

3 Fishing 2278 2309 2415 2507 1822 2233 2516 2642

Agri. and Allied 78707 102793 116073 130781 137989 150453 155770 159197

4 Mining & Quarrying

49 110 219 293 338 353 360 368


78756 102903 116292 131074 138327 150806 156130 159565

5 Manufacturing 5291 5637 6359 7124 7598 7510 7623 10024

(i) Manu-Registered

909 999 1390 1584 1738 1602 1679 2337


4382 4638 4969 5540 5860 5908 5944 7687

6 Construction 27923 32576 38398 45187 46572 47502 53455 61465


4112 4640 5251 5971 6944 6979 7438 7518


37326 42853 50008 58282 61114 61991 68516 79007

Industry --- --- --- --- --- ---


45387 46693 48078 51561 54141 55350 57295 62902

(i) Railways 117 193 215 263 278 342 355 419


43675 44574 45933 48734 50799 51699 53279 54950

(iii) Storage 34 37 39 44 85 97 103 115

(iv) Communication

1561 1889 1891 2520 2979 3212 3558 7418


14375 14662 15688 15844 16081 16273 16761 17410


3037 4716 5667 6070 6578 6692 7394 9141


30748 35989 37120 38974 44350 47254 48725 50451


43676 50981 57224 61810 61995 62612 63453 65339

13 Other Services 26922 27907 33983 34849 35936 36691 37098 41177


164145 180948 197760 209108 219081 224872 230726 246420


280227 326704 364060 398464 418522 437669 455372 484992

15 Population ‘000’ 1850 1944 2045 2149 2259 2374 2495 2623


15147 16806 17802 18542 18527 18436 18251 18490


99

TABLE - IV.10 Net State Domestic Product At Constant (1999-00) Price

By Industry Of Origin from 1999-00 To 2006-07

Sl. No.

Industry 1999-00 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1 Agriculture 64987 88912 101550 115952 122627 133916 136078 136798

2 Forestry & Logging

9399 9440 9702 9759 10615 11150 13828 16380

3 Fishing 2051 2078 2136 2188 1465 1872 2034 2231

Agri. and Allied 76437 100430 113388 127899 134707 146938 151940 155409

4 Mining & Quarrying

39 93 184 255 290 312 315 326


76476 100523 113572 128154 134997 147250 152255 155735

5 Manufacturing 4570 4852 5516 6233 6634 6478 6531 8661

(i) Manu-Registered

675 740 1100 1287 1430 1265 1302 1903

(ii)ManuUnregistered

3895 4112 4416 4946 5204 5213 5229 6758

6 Construction 27148 31091 37203 43596 45010 46081 52034 59883


2309 2465 2533 2905 3391 3407 3571 3615

b.Sub-Total of Secondary Sector

34027 38408 45252 52734 55035 55966 62136 72159

Industry -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --


43843 45681 46986 50326 52760 53140 53681 58142

(i) Railways 48 120 138 174 184 229 231 257


42621 43978 45273 48076 49906 50024 50268 51039

(iii) Storage 25 28 29 34 73 89 95 106

(iv) Communication

1149 1555 1546 2042 2597 2798 3087 6740


13908 14129 15069 15294 15593 15835 16406 16995


2919 4541 5500 5900 6399 6514 7200 8909

11 Real Estate, Ownership of Dwellings and Business Services

28966 34981 35979 37825 41978 44872 45916 46521


35390 40672 45710 51305 51350 51867 51997 52186

13 Other Services 25451 26251 32161 32592 33121 34517 34766 38638


150477 166255 181405 193242 201201 206745 209966 221391


260980 305186 340229 374130 391233 409961 424357 449285

15 Population ‘000’ 1850 1944 2045 2149 2259 2374 2495 2623


14107 15699 16637 17409 17319 17269 17008 17129


The figures in the Tables IV.7 to IV.10 indicate that the state’s net

domestic product had followed a similar pattern to occupational structure. The

100

tertiary sector has started to take a major role in the process of economic

development in the state as the role of primary sector declines, while the

secondary sector had remained insignificant due to obvious reasons. The per

capita income has increased significantly from Rs.489 in 1971 to Rs.6, 638 in

1994 and from Rs.14, 107 in 1999-00 to 20,892 in 2006-07. The brief analysis of

the past trend of economic growth of Nagaland reveals that the sectoral

development has been initiated but it has not taken the right direction. The role of

secondary and tertiary sectors should have increased simultaneously as primary

sector declines but this did not happen in the state. The progress in tertiary sector

alone will never sustain the process of economic development (Jamir, 2002).

In Nagaland the process of economic development has decelerated

because the momentum of development was not from within the economy and

forces of development were not firmly rooted within the domestic economy. The

Net State Domestic Product (NSDP) of Nagaland has shown an increase from

Rs.10, 547 Lakhs in 1980-81 to Rs. 57,898 Lakhs in 1990-91(at constant 1980-81

prices) and to Rs. 2, 23,042 Lakhs during 2000-01(at constant 1993-94 prices).

The per-capita income in the State increased from Rs.1,361 during 1980-81 to

Rs.5,520 during 1990-91. During 2000-01, per-capita income was Rs.11, 473(at

constant 1993-94 prices) as against Rs. 10,306 for the country as a whole.

An estimation of district incomes (District Domestic Product) has not

been carried out by the State Government or other agencies of the Government of

India. In order to quantify the achievements of the different districts in income

generation, sample survey was conducted to determine the District Domestic

Product. The results of the survey quantify that the per-capita of the State is

Rs.11,119 with Dimapur district having the highest per-capita among the districts

(Rs,16,837) and Mon district having the least (Rs.4,500).

A look at the share of the various sectors in the NSDP during the last two

decades shows that the share of the primary sector declined from 32.5% in 1980-

81 to 31.01% in 2000-01. Among the primary sectors, agriculture formed the

major component and its share declined from 28.65% to 27.48% during the above

period. During the same period, the share of secondary sector rose from 14.13%

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to 15.18%. These figures show that Nagaland’s economy has not witnessed many

structural changes in the past two decades.

The share of the tertiary sector has shown some fluctuations – it increased

from 53.4% in 1980-81 to 58.14% in 1995-96 and declined to 53.81% in 2000-

01. Within the tertiary sector, transport, storage and communication formed a

major share. Their share in the NSDP, which was 1.68% in 1980-81, increased to

18.14% in 1999-2000. Public administration and finance and real estate are the

important components in the tertiary sector.

Nagaland’s Net State Domestic Product (NSDP at 1993-94 prices) was

Rs.2, 23,042Lakhs (2000-01). The sectoral comparison of the NSDP shows that

the contributions of the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors to the State’s

economy have remained relatively unchanged during the last two decades. In

2000-01, the share of the primary sector was 31.01% while that of the secondary

sector was 15.18% and tertiary sector contributed 53.81% to the NSDP. During

2000-01, the contributions of the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors in the

Net National Domestic Product were 28.29%, 21.14% and 50.57% respectively.

Across the three sectors, agriculture (27.48%), construction (15.43%), transport

and communication (18.14%) and public administration (12.73%) comprise

three-fourths of the State’s NSDP. The near absence of contribution from

manufacturing (0.74%) and banking and insurance (1.32%) reflects the lack of

industrial activity in Nagaland and the weak supporting environment (Nagaland

State Human Development Report, 2004).

Structural Change or transformation in modern economic growth implies

the transition from a traditional agricultural society to a modern industrial

economy involving a radical transformation of existing institutions, social

attitudes and motivations. Such structural changes lead to increasing employment

opportunities, higher output productivity and the stock of capital, exploitation of

new resources and improvement in technology. Structural changes may begin

with the transfer of population from primary to secondary and then subsequently

to tertiary employment and a progressive decline in primary sector. Following

which, a decline in the share of primary sector in net national product or output

102

and an increase in the share of secondary and tertiary sector (Jamir, 2002). But a

decline in the share of primary sector does not mean a fall in the output of

primary sector. Rather agricultural output must increase in absolute terms with

improvement in the techniques of production and inputs to meet the needs of

growing population and support the raw material needs of the secondary sector.

The improvement or innovation in technology must be accompanied by

institutional reform like better marketing organization, land reforms, new credit

institutions, etc.

4.5.1. Agricultural Development

Nagaland has an agrarian economy. Agriculture has traditionally been and

continues to be the mainstay of Naga life – the numerous festivals are centered on

agriculture and have their roots in cultivation practices. About 70% of the total

population of the state depends on farming. The main crops grown in the state

include rice, millet, maize and pulses. Cash crops like sugarcane and potato are

also grown in some parts. Coffee, cardamom and tea come under plantation crops

which are grown in hilly areas. Majority of the population is involved in the

cultivation of rice as it is the main staple diet of the people. More than 80% of the

gross cropped area is under rice cultivation. A sizeable population of the state

grows oil seeds which includes Rapeseed, mustard etc. However, like most of the

world’s tribal population, the production system in Nagaland has been close to

proto-agriculture, which has enabled close links between nature and people from

generation to generation. These linkages and traditional practices have been

formalized through experiences and empirical observations, and interwoven with

social, religious and traditional values. The impact of modern scientific practices

has not been appreciable as most high external input technologies are not suitable

for high altitudes and rain-fed conditions.

There are two methods of cultivation which exist in Nagaland. The Naga

tribes practice both jhuming and terrace cultivation. The area under jhum

cultivation is about 87.339 hectares and under terraced cultivation is about 62,091

hectares. Although majority of population is engaged with cultivation, still

103

Nagaland depends on the import of food supplies from other states. This is due to

less availability of food grains in the state as the area under cultivation is less.

Photo no. – 5 shows Jhum cultivation in Nagaland

Major land use pattern in Nagaland continues to be shifting cultivation,

known as Jhum. Though often considered primitive and unproductive, Jhum is a

complex agricultural system that is well adapted under certain conditions, which

require exhaustive comprehension of the environment to succeed. Shifting

cultivation covers over 73% of the total arable area of the State. It is mostly

concentrated in the districts of Mokokchung, Tuensang, Wokha, Zunheboto and

Mon. In other areas, terraced rice cultivation (TRC) or combined Jhum and TRC

are practiced.

During the last four decades, the food grain production in Nagaland has

shown an upward trend from 62,000 metric tons in 1964-65 to 3, 86,390 tons in

2001-02. The productivity increased from 700 kg per hectare to 1300 kg per

hectare over the period. However, the State is not self-sufficient in production of

food grains. Non-traditional crops such as wheat, barley, spices, rubber and

sugarcane are also gaining popularity in recent years, promising to convert

agriculture from subsistence farming to commercially viable activity. The land is

extremely fertile and can produce the best quality of agro-based, horticulture and

floriculture products through organic farming. The potential of Nagaland

104

becoming an ‘organic state’ and for exports and foreign exchange is real.

Strategic initiatives in the fields of animal husbandry, fishery and sericulture

could result in generation of resources and overall development of the rural

economy (Nagaland State Human Development Report, 2004).

4.5.2 Industrial Development

The industrial base in Nagaland is narrow. Despite the potentials, the

activities in industrial sector have remained less productive mainly because it is

not properly organized and no marketing strategies have been evolved. The

majority of the industrial units/village industries are based on local forest

products, agro-based products and traditional handloom and cottage industries.

The Government of Nagaland, with a view to develop industrial sector, had set up

a few medium scale industries such as Dimapur Sugar Mill, Paper and Pulp

industry at Tuli, Plywood factory at Tizit, Mini Cement Plant at Wazeho, Phek,

Fruit and vegetable processing unit at Dimapur, but almost all these units have

ceased to operate and have caused heavy capital loss to the state in general and

misery to the displaced employees. Nagaland had only 73 industrial units

including small scale industries, Govt. emporiums, district industrial centers and

specialized farms in 1980. This increased to 1160 in 1999-2000 . This includes

1064 small-scale units (Nagaland State Human Development Report 2004).

Nagas make beautiful decorative materials. Cottage industries such as weaving,

woodwork and pottery are also an important source of revenue. Tourism is

important, but largely limited owing to the state's geographic isolation and

political instability in recent years. New initiatives are necessary after careful

survey of the developmental potentials of different regions.

The State has established six (6) growth centers for industrial

development. However, they have not been able to satisfactorily meet the

objectives for which they were envisioned. This sector especially in rural areas

should be given priority as they create employment opportunities and provide

subsidiary income to the rural communities. This will mobilize capital and labour

resources, which will otherwise remain unutilized. Nagaland must focus on

industrial development based on available local resources. Despite Government’s

105

effort and availability of vast natural resources in the state, Nagaland has not

been able to utilize these resources to advantage. Therefore, the State does not

come in the industrial map of India. The reason for industrial backwardness of

the state besides having so much of potentialities and resources at our disposal

maybe the inadequacy of infrastructure such as transportation, communication,

powers etc., lack of enough trained man power and lack of entrepreneurship,

weak institutional finance, problem of availability of raw materials, inadequate

marketing strategy and the prevailing situation which do not offer very conducive

condition for attracting private investors in industries (Sema, 2006).

4.5.3 Infrastructure Development

The strategy and approach of the State Government have been to provide

the basic infrastructure requirements of the people such as roads, water supply,

schools, hospitals, etc. The State has been largely successful in this and a large

part of the infrastructure is now in place. The achievements of the State in

providing infrastructure showed that 13.96% of the villages had pucca roads as

on 31 March 1986, which increased to 29.24% as on 31 March 2000. Similarly,

the percentage of villages having primary schools increased from 92.0 % to

96.6% during the above period. There was an increase in the percentage of

villages with primary health centre from 18.0% to 26.3%. The percentages of

villages having facilities for potable drinking water increased from 67.6% to

75.2% during the same period. However, the State has been grappling with

challenges to maintain the assets created in this hilly, geographically fragile,

high-rainfall State.

4.6 NAGALAND’S HUMAN DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

The conventional measure of gross domestic product or per capita income

is insufficient to capture the wider aspects of welfare and the contingent process

of development. In line with the country’s National Human Development Report,

2001 the following three indices have been constructed for Nagaland: Human

Development Index (HDI); Gender Related Development Index (GDI); and

Human Poverty Index (HPI). The HDI (2001) value of Nagaland was 0.62, as

compared to 0.472 (2001) for India, reflecting the State’s good performance in

106

terms of the constituents of the indices and the factors that influence them,

including literacy, health status and income levels. The per capita income of

Nagaland during 2000–2001 was almost equal to the national average. GDI for

Nagaland is 0.45 against HDI of 0.54. Gender disparity index is a useful

summary measure to compare human development between sexes. Nagaland has

consistently maintained a GDI of 0.7 and above in comparison to the national

average of 0.6. This is mainly because of the Naga culture of equal care for the

girl child. Naga tribal values and practices have provided a unique framework of

gender relations and access to health and nutrition. The contributing factors to the

notable GDI in Nagaland are education and the improving opportunity for

livelihood. The HPI for the State is 35.58 percent. The index has come down

from 42.07 percent in 1991 and 49.37 percent in 1981, as estimated for the State

in the National Human Development Report, 2001.

4.7 DEVELOPMENT CONSTRAINTS IN NAGALAND

In the present context by development constraint in Nagaland it means

factors that retard or impede socio-economic advancement in Nagaland. In 2001,

Nagaland ranked number 13th amongst the poorest fifteen states in India.

(i) Geographical Isolation: Like all the other states of the North-Eastern region

of India, Nagaland is geographically isolated from the rest of India leading to

insulated conditions both physically and psychologically. Being isolated from the

main land and nearer to foreign countries like China and Burma, transactions

with these places is more convenient and lucrative for the local businessmen. But

as there are minimum facilities for trade with these places, economic activity

cannot grow as they could. The location of the state also being a corridor for

drug, smuggling, many youths are ensnared by the comparatively easy

availability of the drugs and this adversely affects development of the human

resources.

(ii) Historical and Cultural Drawbacks: If we look back at the historical

perspective, the present civilization of the Nagas is a received/imposed one and

not evolved out of the land and people themselves. The transition from the earlier

primitive stage to the present modern stage has been a painful difficult process.

107

Nagaland has experienced only a hundred years of modern civilization as

compared to other countries that had already advanced form of civilizations for

several hundred years. The ‘culture shock’ had resulted in lethargy and loss of

sense of direction. Along with this, a long history of conflict had impeded the

economic progress of the state. Difference in culture, language varieties of tribes

within Nagaland impedes development when communication problems or

tribalism sets in. If the mother tongue and English, the state language is promoted

qualitatively and quantitatively, there would have been minimum confusion over

language.

(iii) Land ownership system: In Nagaland, land owners have a bigger say than

the government in matters of land as the major portion of land is owned by the

individuals, clans or families. Government has little say in planning and

executing development works such as town planning, road widening, drainage,

construction and in initiating any programme involving land. Obtaining the

consent of several parties and paying compensations causes delays and increases

the cost of the jobs to be undertaken.

(iv) Lack of good Roads and Transport: The main cause of economic

underdevelopment in the state is the lack of good connecting roads. It is observed

that villages with good roads prosper due to easy movement of people and

commodities whereas those with proper road conditions do not develop as fast as

they would have. The economy of Nagaland being agro-based, transporting and

marketing of the agricultural goods need to receive prior consideration. But along

with the absence of good roads there is no connecting transporting and marketing

facility and no storage facility to keep the perishable goods. The only rail head

and airport at Dimapur does not provide adequate service as the train services are

minimal and flights are not frequent or regular.

(v) Inadequate power supply: This is a major constraint, impeding all areas of

economic activity. With the commissioning of the Likhimro and Doyang hydel

projects, the power supply position has visibly improved in the towns and district

headquarters. But the position has not improved in the rural areas. The villages

are the backbone of the Naga society and only when the villages prosper will real

108

development take place in Nagaland. Nagaland has tremendous potential for

hydro-power and the current thrust on development of Micro Hydel power is a

commendable effort as it will make the state not only self-sufficient in power

generation, but have minimum adverse effect on the environment.

(vi) Obsolete modes of production: Agriculture is the mainstay of the Naga

economy. Agro-based industries are likely to be the most viable in Nagaland.

However, the farmer’s still use the age-old methods of farming. Scientific

farming and mechanization is a must to improve production. Given the terrain

and landholding size, the machines must be adopted for cultivation.

(vii) Lack of investment: Most of the people in the state of Nagaland who

belong to the middle income group often do not have adequate capital to invest.

The few rich do not want to invest in the state due to the unfavourable law and

order and political situation. Not only the local businessmen but also private

enterprises from outside do not want to take the risk to invest in Nagaland for the

same reason.

(viii) Insurgency : Ever since independence Naga insurgency has seized the

attention of almost all the political parties and social scientists (Zhimomi, 2004).

A final solution has eluded the decision makers and there is lack of knowledge

and confusion all round. Insurgency with the help of foreign powers as well as

corrupt politicians, contractors, smugglers and other vested interests have now

become an intoxicating scent of luxurious life styles that attract the unemployed

and misguided Naga youths. Extortion activities in the State have been also on a

rise during the last few years. The militant groups have been continuously

collecting ‘tax’ from the people and business establishments. This money is

collected from all sources, including from Government departments and the

extortion network spreads over not only the cities like Dimapur, Kohima and

various District headquarters and townships but also over almost all the 1682

villages of the state. ‘Tax’ is also collected from commercial vehicles plying on

National Highway 39, en route, to Manipur. Neither the Central nor the state

Government is taking any action against this ‘tax collection’ by the militants. By

late 1980s ethnic rivalry caused further split in Nationalist Socialist Council of

109

Nagalim (NSCN) into two groups one led by Issac and Muivah called NSCN

(IM) and another by Khaplang called NSCN (K). On August 1, 1997, the

Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM) and the Union government

entered into a ceasefire agreement and have since held more than 60 rounds of

dialogue (until May 2010) to resolve the conflict. A similar ceasefire agreement

was signed between the NSCN-K and the government in April 2001, though both

sides are yet to start a process of dialogue. The ceasefire agreements with both

the outfits have been periodically extended. Despite the ceasefire, the outfit has

continued with its extortion activities and carried out attacks on the rival outfits

although the scale of violence started declining by end 2008

(http://cdpsindia.org/nagaland_insurgency.asp). The NSCN-K has managed to hold on to

its areas of influence, primarily in districts like Mokokchung, Tuensang and

pockets in Dimapur . In spite of the thirteen year old ceasefire with the NSCN-IM

and the nine year old ceasefire with the rival Khaplang faction (NSCN-K), the

situation in Nagaland is still volatile.

(ix) The Prevailing Law and Order Situation: This is the primary constraint of

development in Nagaland. The lack of investments and lack of entrepreneurship

are fallout of this constraint. In conflict zones, the economy is the first casualty.

To take an instance, many hotels had to be closed down due to undue demands

and thus the tourism sector has been unable to take off without this facility.

Tradesmen and craftsmen have been compelled to run their businesses from their

homes and unable to advertise their goods for the same reasons. When different

parties come demanding their percentage or ‘tax’ for any kind of works, very few

people would like to take the risk. To set up enterprises, implement new projects

or schemes, there are few local experts to consult and few experts from outside

are willing to come to Nagaland because of the perceived unsafe conditions. The

presence of this condition is a paradox in Nagaland. It is a double edged sword

that cut both ways. There is part condemnation of the National movement for the

various problems it causes and at the same time it is historically linked to the

sentiments and patriotism of the people. It has impeded local entrepreneurship

but also kept out unrestrained influx of outside interests, which could have

swamped the state leading to unchecked exploitation (Aier, 2002). Moreover,

http://cdpsindia.org/nagaland_insurgency.asp

110

many a time the established government law and order machinery fails to deliver

and the public turns to the ‘parallel’ governments for succor. However, the

current ceasefire no matter how transient has blown in favourable winds of

change for development.

(x) Educational Backwardness: The failure of Nagaland to develop is because

of the failure of the education system. It has failed to impart the skills, values and

attitudes required for living. It must transcend its purely didactic role and

restructure itself to equip the students with the necessary skills for living. The

role of education for the development of any sphere of life cannot be

underestimated. Yet the educational scenario in Nagaland is disheartening. Even

in the existing system, the quality of education is very poor (Aier, 2002). In the

history of mankind, education has always formed a continuum and a basis for the

development of human society. Through development of attitudes, values,

capabilities and skills, education provides the strength and resilience to people to

respond to changing situations and enables them to cause and contribute to

society’s development. Seeing that there is a direct link between education and

development, it can be said that the failure of Nagaland to develop is because of

the failure of the education system. It has failed to impart the skills, values and

attitudes required for living. It must transcend its purely didactic role and

restructure itself to equip the students with the necessary skills or living. The role

of the education for the development of any sphere of life cannot be

underestimated. Yet the educational scenario in Nagaland is disheartening. Even

in the existing system, the quality of education is very poor. With all these

considerations, the implication is that development requires a multi- pronged

approach – that of targeting both the negative and positive aspects, i.e., removing

the constraints and at the same time building upon the available resources and

initiating and investing in developmental works. With imagination and change in

perspectives, the constraints can be turned into advantages.

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4.8 EDUCATIONAL SCENARIO

4.8.1 Brief History of Education in Nagaland

Education in Nagaland in the Pre-literacy period had started in 1878 like other States of North East India. The first modern school was opened at Molungyimsen in Mokokchung District in 1878.The main objective of opening school by Christian Missionaries was to enable them to read Bible. The Britishers were satisfied enough if they could employ the Nagas as Clerks. This objective had been followed till 1947.

After independence, a new administrative unit – The Naga Hills Tuensang Area (NHTA) was formed in 1957 which gave birth to the State of Nagaland in 1963. During the post-independence period, most of the schools became non-functional for some years due to political upheaval. The formation of NHTA and also attainment of statehood brought opening of many schools, however, without proper planning and without caring for quality education. This educational expansion was done mainly due to the political pressure coupled with compulsion.

4.8.2 Present Education Scenario of Nagaland

There has been a phenomenal increase in the levels of literacy, which was 67.11% in 2001 as compared to 17.91% in 1961. However, against a national increase of 21.39% in the literacy rate during the period 1991 to 2001, the State witnessed an increase of only 8.86% in the same period. Consequently, there was lead of a mere 3.73% above the national average in the State’s literacy during 1991-2001 as compared to a lead of 9.24% during 1971-81. The literacy rate which was 17.91% in 1961, increased to 42.57% in 1981, 61.65% in 1991 and further increased to 67.11% in 2001 and in 2011 it stands at 80.11% which is above the National level of 74.04%. Literacy by sex shows that the rate for males has gone up from 71.16% in 2001 to 83.30% in 2011. A positive element here is the increase in the female literacy level, which was 13% in 1961 but steadily increased to 39.9% in 1981, 61.92% in 2001 and to 76.69% in 2011.

In spite of the laudable achievements made by Nagaland in terms of the educational infrastructure and the improvements in literacy percentage, the quality of education being made available is a matter of concern. Improvement of

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existing educational infrastructure, extensive human resource development and supports for teachers’ training will be vital. The pass percentage in the matriculation examination is only 48.6%, where as in higher secondary it is 76.5%. The dropout rates at class 10 and 12 levels are considerable. Unfortunately, vocational training and entrepreneurial skill still remain weak.

With a view to revitalizing education, the Government passed an Act in 2002, communitising elementary school education in the State. Under this initiative, the management and development of elementary schools have been transferred to the community. It is anticipated that community involvement and participation would not only ensure universalisation of education but also yield quality results. The growth of educational institutions in Nagaland deserves consideration and analysis for planning universalization of education. The increase and growth of schools is very uneven among the various districts. The table IV.11 shows the pace at which educational expansion has taken place during 1961-2009.

TABLE - IV.11 No. of Educational Institutions during 1878 to 2009

Items 1878 1961 1997 2009

Population NA 369200 1209546 1988636

Number of students - 52041 389164 651404

University - - 1 2

Professional Institutions - - 2 NA

Theological Colleges - - 8 19

General Colleges - 1 44 NA

Law Colleges - - 4 3

Polytechnics - - 2 3

DIET - - 3 6

ITI - 1 3 5

Higher Secondary Schools - - 4 101

High Schools - 13 236 442

Middle Schools - 61 418 576

Primary Schools 1 522 1394 2072


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The figures in the table no. IV.11 shows that there was rapid growth of

educational institutions during 47years from 1961-2009. However, while

quantitative number of schools was high, the quality was neglected. There was a

scramble to have more institutions rather than better and quality education. This

paved the way to open private institutions by non-governmental agencies such as

Churches, Organizations and individuals. Private institutions produced better

results in public examinations. It has been observed that the government

institutions are considered alien by the community and their involvement with the

institutions is lacking.

4.9 ADMINISTRATIVE STRUCTURE OF EDUCATION IN NAGALAND

The Department of Education comprising of School Education, State

Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and Nagaland Board of

School Education (NBSE) is headed by the Hon’ble Minister of Education,

Nagaland with the Principal Secretary as the administrative head of the

Department.

The Department of School Education and the SCERT each functions as

separate Directorate and the NBSE as an autonomous body under its Chairman.

The Department of School Education has complete responsibility of management

of School Education, except academic matters like conduct of examinations,

prescribing of curriculum and textbooks, teacher’s education and training which

are looked after by the SCERT. The Department looks after all matters relating to

education in respect of all schools from the level of Pre-Primary to Higher

Secondary School Level including Adult Education and Pre-Primary school

education. The Directorate of School Education is headed by a Director as the

Head of the Department. He is assisted by a team of officers like Additional

Directors, Joint Directors, Deputy Directors, and Assistant Directors etc.

At the District level, the department is headed by the District Education

Officers in the ranks of Deputy Director. Presently, there are 7 (seven) District

Education Officers in the State who are responsible for school inspection,

supervision, monitoring, planning and administration of schools at the district

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level. They have also been assigned with the tasks of functioning as District

Adult Education Officers. The District Education Officers are assisted by the

Deputy Inspector of School (DIS). Presently, there are 22 (twenty-two) DIS’s in

the State. The DIS’s are assisted by Sub-Inspector of Schools (SIS). There are

altogether 163 SIS’s in the State.

At the school level, the Government Higher Secondary School is headed

by a Principal in the rank of Deputy Director. He is assisted by a Vice-Principal

and Post-Graduate Teachers in various subjects concerned. Similarly, the

Government High School is looked after by a Headmaster (Class-I Gazetted

Junior). He is assisted by an Assistant Headmaster and Graduate Teachers in

various subjects, vocational educational teachers, and language teachers and so

on. He is also assisted by some clerical staff and grade-IV staff.

At the Government Middle school, the School is headed by a Head

Teacher (Non-Gazetted). The Head Teacher is also assisted by Graduate

Teachers, language teachers, Hindi Teachers, vocational educational teachers and

grade-IV staff, similar to Govt. High School staff indicated above. A Government

Primary School is headed by a Teacher In-charge. He is assisted by Graduate

Teachers & Primary teachers. At the State level, there are two Ministers looking

after the School Education and Higher and Technical Education respectively.

Both the departments are under one Commissioner and Secretary each assisted by

several Additional and Joint Secretaries, Deputy Secretaries and Under

Secretaries at the Secretariat.

In Nagaland, the School Education Department is divided into two

Directorates and one Autonomous Board, each of which is headed by a Director.

They are Directorate of School Education Department, and State Council of

Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and Nagaland Board of School

Education (NBSE) an Autonomous Body.

The Directorate of School Education: It is responsible for planning and overall

management of education from Class 1 to 12 and is headed by Director, Assisted

by Additional Director, Joint Directors and Deputy Directors etc. At the district

and sub-district levels, there are DEO’s and DIS. Physical education is currently

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being imparted in the State by Physical Education Officer with the help of

physical education teachers, who are attached at the Directorate of School

Education.

The Directorate of SCERT: Established in 1979, SCERT in the academic wing

of education. Its main function is to bring about qualitative changes in the field of

School Education in general and teachers education in particular. It is headed by

the Director, assisted by the Joint Directors, Deputy Directors and many other

supporting staff. They are responsible for Educational Quality Equipment

Programme (EQUIP), identification of State Resource Group (SRG), workshops

and trainings for in-service and pre-service teachers, AIDS education, District

Centre for English (DCE), Population Education, Research and Survey, English

Language Teaching Institute (ELTI), International English Language Testing

System (IELTS)etc., and also implementing some Centrally Sponsored Schemes

pertaining to education. The six (6) DIETS are also looking after by the SCERT.

Besides this, they are particularly responsible for curriculum improvement and

development of new textbooks from Class 1 - 8.

Nagaland Board of School Education: Established in 1953, it is composed of

Ex-officio members and members nominated by the State Government and Co-

opted members. It is headed by a full-time Chairman who is the Chief Executive.

The Board is responsible for conducting public examinations from elementary to

higher secondary levels and also prepares text-books. Being an Autonomous

Body, NBSE is not directly or indirectly controlled by the State Government.

In addition to the above, Directorate of Higher and Technical Education,

headed by Director and is assisted by Joint Directors, Deputy Directors and many

other supporting Staffs is entrusted with the control and management of various

pre-university (PU) and Degree Colleges and the Polytechnics at Kohima and

Atoizu. All academic matters including curriculum, courses, conduct of

examination etc. are in the hands of this Directorate.

Field Administration and Inspection: As stated earlier, the Director of School

Education, with the help of his subordinate officers, is responsible for the entire

administration and inspection of School education in the State.

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The District Education Officer (DEO) is responsible for overall

administration and inspection of Schools in the district while Deputy Inspector of

Schools (DIS) at the sub-division level, the DEO in entrusted to look after

secondary and higher secondary schools where as DIS looks after the elementary

stages. The DEO, who is the rank of Deputy Director, has a sub-ordinate officer

under him who can perform the functions of the DEO during his absence on tour,

leave etc. ( SSA AWP & B, 2010-2011, Nagaland).

4.9.1 Class Structure

Pre-Primary Stage: The State Government introduced one-year of pre-primary

class attached to Primary Schools in the State. This stage is primarily meant for

students below 6 years and the objective is to prepare them for formal schooling

from Class 1.

Primary and Middle Stages: This stage is termed as elementary stage. The

courses in these two stages are prescribed by the SCERT in consultation with

NBSE. On the other hand, most private schools use text-books published by

private publishers. The Deputy Inspector of Schools is particularly entrusted to

look after the elementary stage.

Secondary Stage: Secondary school consists of Class 9 and 10 only. The courses

and text-books are prescribed by NBSE. For class 9, evaluation is done by the

school internally and results are also declared by the school with intimation to the

NBSE. The District Education Officer is entrusted to look after the Secondary

stage.

Higher Secondary Stage: It consists of Class 11 and 12. The NBSE prescribe

the courses and text-books. Non-Government institutions also follow the course

prescribed by NBSE. For class 11 promotion examination the NBSE sets the

question papers and the evaluation in done by the school themselves. The DEO is

looking after the Higher Secondary stage in administration and inspection.

4.10 SARVA SHIKSHA ABHIYAN (SSA) Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) is a Government of India’s flagship

programme for achievement of Universalization of Elementary Education (UEE)

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in a time bound manner, as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution

of India making free and compulsory education to children of 6-14 years age

group, a Fundamental Right. The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) Program which

aims to achieve Universalization of Elementary Education, got initiated in the

year 2003 in the State. Since then the state has successfully carried out many

activities under the various interventions of SSA. It aims at achieving universal

primary education by 2007 and universal elementary education by 2010.

Achieving universalization means achieving universal access, universal

enrolment, universal retention and universal quality of education. Though

indicators to monitor progress towards universal access, enrolment and quality

are well defined but the general perception about same is not clear in case of

indicators of universal retention. In simple terms, universal retention at primary

level means every child enter into the system through Grade I should retain in the

system up to Grade V. Universal retention under Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan by 2007

means that all children enrolled in Grade I in 2002-03 should retain in the system

and move up to Grade V in 2007.

SSA is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to

cover the entire country and address the needs of 192 million children. The

programme seeks to open new schools in those habitations which do not have

schooling facilities and strengthen existing school infrastructure through

provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant

and school improvement grants. Existing schools with inadequate teaching

strength are provided with additional teachers, while the capacity of existing

teachers is being strengthened by extensive training, grants for developing

teaching-learning materials and strengthening of the academic support structure

at a cluster, block and district level. SSA seeks to provide quality elementary

education including life skills. SSA has a special focus on girl’s education and

children with special needs. SSA also seeks to provide computer education to

make its students computer literate. Here in Nagaland, SSA with its aim of

achieving all-round development, quality elementary education has now

introduced taekwondo and archery as a sports discipline with the aim to provide

opportunity to all ST students specially girl students, emphasizing on the

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importance of games and sports. Under this flagship programme, the two

disciplines have been introduced in Government schools, for the first time, since

July 2010 in every district of the state. All together, 44 schools with a capacity of

50 students each are benefiting from these two disciplines. It is expected that in

future, a greater number of schools will be introducing these two disciplines,

providing opportunities to more students. SSA has indeed taken a step further

towards useful and quality education. Coupled with the Communitisation

Programme with the Nagaland Communitisation Act 2002 by which all the

villages have been given statutory VEC and all the elementary schools have been

communitised from the academic session of 2004, which has created effective

grass root bodies in the form of Village Education Committees (VECs), SSA has

managed to bring about positive changes in the field of elementary education.

With the introduction of National programmes such as SSA and the Total

Literacy Campaign (TLC) under Adult Education, communitisation of schools

etc., responsibilities of the School Education Department have increased

tremendously. At present the entire primary and the middle schools i.e. the entire

elementary education is under the coverage of SSA (SSA, Nagaland).

As per SSA Annual Administrative Report 2005-06, Department

of School Education, Nagaland, Kohima. Some of the notable achievements or

positive outcomes of the implementation of SSA programmes in the State of

Nagaland are summarized as below:-

1. Mainstreaming Out of School Children:-

For universalization of elementary schooling, it is essential, that all the

out of school children both never enrolled and drop-out be brought back in

school. In the year 2004-05 altogether 19,428 number of out of school children

were identified and enrolled for alternative schooling so as to prepare them for

getting mainstreamed in the regular schools. Nagaland Baptist Church Council

(NBCC) a very renowned and well known social organization having reach in all

the villages and towns of Nagaland carried out the alternative schooling

programme through its Associations. The Associations were successful in

mainstreaming 11,012 children in regular schools. In the year 2005-06, the

alternative schooling programmes for mainstreaming 29,159 out of school

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children was carried out by twenty-five implementing agencies all over

Nagaland.

2. Training of Teachers and Supervision:-

SSA lays great stress on constant and regular training of teachers. There

are three types trainings: 20 days in-service training for all the teachers every

year, 60 days training for untrained teachers which have to be done once and a 30

days training for fresh recruits. The 20 days in service teacher training is being

conducted in the Educational Block Resource Centres (EBRC) by Resource

Persons (RPs). The RPs are the teachers on deployment who have been trained by

the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT). All over

Nagaland 41 EBRCs have been established. The EBRCs are an essential and

important structure for the proper implementation of SSA and besides providing

training to teachers. More than 10,000 teachers attend this course annually from

2004-05.

Apart from training of teachers in the centers’, the Resource Persons of

EBRCs are assigned 10 schools each for academic supervision. When the training

becomes passive, the resource Persons pay timely visits to their assigned schools

to extend academic support to the teachers.

3. Civil Works

The rapid expansion of elementary schools in the state during the last four

decades was not backed with provision of adequate infrastructure. Many schools

also require addition of rooms. Survey shows that about 75% of the classrooms

require repairs. Improvement of infrastructure of the elementary schools is thus a

priority area for the state under SSA and accordingly support is being provided to

the schools. The construction activities under SSA are done by the Village

Education Committees (VECs). The funds are placed in their accounts. The

technical help to the VEC’s is provided by the District Mission Authorities

(DMAs) which are the implementing bodies for SSA at the district level.

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TABLE - IV.12 Achievement of SSA regarding Civil Work.

Sl.No. Item Completed In progress

1. 1 room extension 62 198

2. 2 room extension 34 102

3. GPS construction 12 29

4. GMS construction 4 16

5. Boundary wall 790 472

6. BRC construction 11 26

7. Toilet 0 643

8. Water supply 0 455

9. Electrification 0 125

Source – SSA Annual Administrative Report, 2005-06.

4. Computer Aided Learning

To improve the quality of classroom learning SSA Nagaland has initiated

Computer Aided Learning (CAL) and Computer Learning Program (CLP) in

eighty (80) of its Government Middle schools. The students of these Middle

schools besides learning the usage of computers are being given lessons on

certain topics in the subjects of Science, Mathematics, English, Information

Technology and General Knowledge on computers through multimedia. The

whole programme aims at enhancing learning and retention capacity of the

students on hard-spots through visual aided learning and also to create computer

awareness to both students and teaching faculty right from class 5 level. (SSA

Annual Administrative Report, 2005-06).

5. Early Childhood Care and Education

Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is very important as it

ensures the school readiness of the children in the age-group 0-6 years. In the

year 2004-05, SSA Nagaland decided to make all the 41 EBRCs attached to the

primary schools as model ECCE centres. In these centres the Pre-Primary stage

are being strengthened by improving and adding on the infrastructure and by

increasing the capacity of the teachers by training them. The centers’ besides

being helpful to children of that particular school would also serve as a resource

centre for training of the teachers coming to the EBRCs in the subject of ECCE.

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6. Notebooks for elementary school students

Free textbooks are provided to the students by the Department of School

Education. However, it is noticed that the parents of school going children face

difficulty in making available sufficient reading and writing materials to their

children to their children on account of shortage of money. In the year 2004-05,

SSA decided to support the school going children of Classes 1 to 4 by providing

them supplementary learning aid in the form of notebooks. The number of

students benefitted by this intervention is 53,984 in classes 1 to 2 and 38,981 in

classes 3 and 4. In the year 2005-06, free notebooks were provided to the students

of Classes 5 to 8. The distributed notebooks carried the logo of SSA and

messages exhorting children to come to schools.

7. Girls Education

In the state of Nagaland there is ample evidence to show that girls remain

educationally backward to boys. In the year 2004-05, SSA Nagaland felt that for

bringing about a change in this, an awareness cum-sensitization programme on

girls’ education should be carried out all over Nagaland. Naga Mothers

Association (NMA), a well known organization in Nagaland having a lot of good

will among the people, accepted the task of carrying out awareness cum-

sensitization programme on girls education. Accordingly NMA has carried out

awareness cum-sensitization camp at 37 centers’, spread all over the State.

Further, SSA Nagaland also decided that in order to boost up the morale of the

girl child and to create an interest in study and to carry the message of SSA far

and wide, educational assistance material in the form of school bags with printed

messages on it was given to all girls from Class 5 to Class 8. Through this

intervention 30,699 girl students got benefitted. In the subsequent years this

benefit is being given to girl students of Class 3,4 and5.

8. Inclusive Education for Disabled (IED)

The objectives of SSA shall not get fulfilled if adequate care and support

is not advanced to those groups of children who because of disability are not able

to come to school or after some years are forced to drop-out. In the year 2004-05

trainings were conducted on IED awareness for district and block level co-

coordinators. For the 2005-06 SSA has identified more than 4200 Children With

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Special Needs (CWSN). SSA Nagaland carried out assessment camps for finding

out the type of aids and appliances required by the disabled children. Altogether

665 disabled children have been assessed and appliances are distributed in the

different Districts.

9. Schooling facility in difficult locations

The state has a norm of providing a Government Primary School to all the

recognized villages and urban areas. Hence access to schooling facilities is not

much of a problem. The minor problems of access are in those habitations, which

are very small hamlets consisting of just eight to fifteen households and separated

from the main villages. Such access less habitations are 192 in number. Out of

this, 125 habitations are being covered by establishing Education Guarantee

Scheme (EGS) centers. The EGS centres are run by the communities with help

from SSA. The centers’ on being run successfully for two years are upgraded to a

full-fledged primary school. The remaining habitations, which are not eligible for

EGS centers' owing to their very small size, will be taken up under innovative

schooling.

10. Grants to VECs/WECs

SSA aims for carrying out the interventions of SSA through and with the help of the grass root bodies. There are three types of grants, which are given under SSA to the VECs/WECs for improving the elementary education. Annual Building Maintenance Grant at Rs. 5,000 per year per school is given to all the VECs/WECs. This grant is for taking up minor repair works in the schools, which the VEC/WEC decides depending on the need and priority. School grant at Rs.2,000 per year per school to all the VECs/WECs is for buying and improving things needed inside the classroom. Teacher grant at the rate of Rs.500 per teacher is for providing support to the teacher in developing and procuring teaching learning material. The money is to be given directly to the teacher. The VEC/WEC is to decide in consultation with the teachers the way the money should be utilized. For the Upper-primary students of all the districts, except Mon and Tuensang, a textbook grant at Rs.150 per student per year is given. The amount depending upon the enrolment in upper-primary is given to the VECs/WECs. The

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VEC/WEC utilizes this amount in getting textbooks for the children. The students of Mon and Tuensang are provided textbooks under the State Plan. 4.11 DEVELOPMENT OF EDUCATION AND LITERACY IN THE

STATE OF NAGALAND

Educational development, which is measured by ability to read, write and

communicate, has fast increased with the initiatives of Government and

Communities both. Successive Governments have made all efforts to provide

educational facilities to all recognized villages in the State. Thus, it is seen from

the Table no. IV.13 that in the year 1901, the literacy rate in the state of Nagaland

was mere 0.14%, which increased to 17.91% during 1961. In the year 1963

Nagaland got its Statehood and after this there is rapid increase in the literacy rate

to 61.65% in 1991 then to 67.11% in 2001 and further increased to 80.11% in the

year 2011.

TABLE - IV.13 Gains and advancement of State Population and Literacy Rates

during the period 1901 to 2011 in the State of Nagaland Year State Population Literacy Rates

1901 102402 0.14

1911 149623 0.86

1921 160960 1.56

1931 178844 1.85

1941 189641 5.92

1951 212975 10.38

1961 369200 17.91

1971 516449 27.4

1981 774930 42.57

1991 1209546 61.65

2001 1988636 67.11

2011 1980602 80.11

Source :- Data pertaining to 1901-1941 are the figures pertaining to Naga Hills District under Assam, 1951 &1961 from the Naga Hills and Naga Tribal areas under Assam extracted from the GOI Census report of 1951 & 1961. Others from Census report 1971, 1981, 1991 & 2001 respectively. Census of India 2011 Provisional Population Totals Paper 1 of 2011, Nagaland Series 14.

Table no. IV.13 shows the rise in State population and the corresponding

literacy rates. Literacy rate has increased from 0.14 in the year 1901 to 80.11 in

the year 2011, literacy rates over the years have been plotted graphically in Chart

no. 4.1.

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CHART NO. – 4.1

Trend in literacy rate in the State of Nagaland from 1901 to 2011

Source :- Data pertaining to 1901-1941 are the figures pertaining to Naga Hills District under

Assam, 1951 &1961 from the Naga Hills and Naga Tribal areas under Assam extracted from the GOI Census report of 1951 & 1961. Others from Census report 1971, 1981, 1991 & 2001 respectively. Census of India 2011 Provisional Population Totals Paper 1 of 2011, Nagaland Series 14.

4.12 COMMUNITIZATION OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION Communitisation is a novel and unique initiative of the Government of

Nagaland that builds on developing a synergic relationship between the

community and the government with a view to creating a sense of ownership of

public institutions and better management of limited resources. Towards this end,

the State Government has enacted the ‘Nagaland Communitisation of Public

Institutions and Services Act 2002 (Act No. 2 of 2002 notified on April 15,

2002)’ to cover the power, water supply and education sectors. These three

sectors were selected for the communitisation programme as it was felt that bijli,

pani and shiksha constituted the most critical needs of the community and

required considerable improvement (Bansal, 2004). The Act empowers

community to own, manage and control government schools as their own by

vesting them with legal powers and responsibilities.

In the education sector, the programme seeks to develop institutions of

excellence with the active participation of the community, the teachers as well as

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the support of the Government. Accordingly, the Department of School

Education notified the Nagaland Communitisation of Elementary Education

Institutions and Services Rules 2002, covering all Primary and Middle Schools to

be communitised in Nagaland. Therefore, Nagaland Government has passed “The

Nagaland Communitization of Public Institutions and Services Act 2002” under

the Nagaland Communitization of Elementary Education Institutions and

Services Rule 2002, in the field of education. Under this act, certain

responsibilities like management of academic, administrative and financial

resources of the communitised schools have been transferred to the village

communities through the Village Education Committees (VEC’s). The objective

is to help create a sense of ownership of public institutions and better

management of resources. The main goal of this initiative is to ‘develop

institutions of excellence with the active participation of the community, the

teachers and the support to the Government’ (Nagaland State Human

Development Report, 2004).

Communitisation of an institution of the Government means transferring the

ownership to and sharing responsibility of its management with the community –

It encompasses decentralization of authority, delegation of responsibility,

empowerment of the community and building up a win-win relationship between

the Government and the community to spur growth and development of

institutions. In a communitised School, the academic, administrative and

financial management of the school substantially vest with the community which

acts through an elected Village Education Committee (VEC). Salaries of

Government teachers are disbursed through these VECs who are empowered to

control teachers in a variety of ways, including implementing the “No Work, No

Pay” principle. Three months advance salaries of teachers are drawn and kept in

the VEC account to be disbursed by the VEC to teachers on the first of the

month. The VEC are also responsible for universal enrollment and retention of

children up to the age of 14 years. The community receives funds for key

purposes, such as purchase of textbooks, furniture, repair of school buildings etc.

The village thus treats the school as its own, thereby contributing their best in

cash, kind and labour. The Government continues to supervise, support and

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supplement the activities. Communitisation thus augments the limited capital

resources by making available the community’s ‘social capital’ for betterment of

the school and improvement of every facet of elementary education.

Initially, out of 1566 Elementary schools in 1277 villages only 205 schools

in 90 villages were taken up on a pilot basis. In 2003, another 197 schools in 128

villages were taken up under this programme on a voluntary basis. Thus a total of

402 schools located in 218 villages were communitised during the period 2002 &

2003. As the response to the programme was positive and encouraging, the State

Government on September 30, 2003 decided to communitise all Elementary

schools with effect from 01.01.2004. To commemorate the completion of a

successful first year, a book titled “First Year of Communitisation of Elementary

Education in Nagaland” was released on October 13, 2003 by the Hon’ble Chief

Minister of Nagaland Shri Neiphiu Rio.

The salient features of the Communitisation of elementary education are:

1. In every communitised village, a VEC has been constituted.

2. Communitisation empowers the village community to own and to develop

the government elementary schools in the village as their own. The VEC

is the legal authority for management of elementary education in the

village.

3. Salaries of school employees are deposited in the VEC account by the

Government, in advance, to enable the VEC to make payment on the first

of every month. Other funds for purchase of textbooks, furniture, repair of

buildings etc. are likewise deposited in the VEC account by the

Government. For other needs, the VEC mobilizes funds independently.

4. VEC ensures discipline of the students and regularity of teachers. It is

empowered to deduct salaries for absences of teachers after observing

prescribed formalities. Any such deduction is utilized for needs of the

school.

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5. VEC may arrange for inter-school utilization of teachers and other

resources, such as building within the village schools, including the

private one.

6. VEC is empowered to select and recommend appointment of substitute

teachers against long-term vacancies.

7. VEC may engage local craftsmen/artisans or experts in folk songs and

games on voluntary basis or on payment of a token honorarium for

teaching in the schools.

8. VEC is responsible for universal enrolment and retention of children upto

the age of 14 years.

9. Government retains power to supervise/support the VEC and whenever

deemed necessary, to issue directives which will be binding on the VEC.

A new culture of social audit of public institutions is thus, being

established. Each VEC has to compile an annual report of activities and have its

finances audited. This platform for local leadership has also seen sharing of

facilities between private and public schools. While the Government is still the

formal employer of teachers, the VEC has also meant more accountability

amongst teachers to local village communities and efficient utilization of

resources. (Nagaland State Human Development Report, 2004).

4.13 THE CONCLUDING REMARKS

Nagaland could not be benefitted from the Five Year Plans of the Government of India. The State also suffered the consequences of continued insurgency, frequently having to commit its scarce resources on establishment costs. Because of these, despite the tremendous strides made in the last 48 years, Nagaland economy is still confronted by many developmental challenges. Foremost among these are the inaccessibility, hilly and landlocked nature of the State and lack of infra-structure. There is also continued insurgency, high labour costs, lack of industrial culture etc. During 1999, the Eleventh Finance Commission ranked Nagaland (with an index of 76.14) as the 7th most remote State in the country – but there was only a difference of about 7 points with Arunachal Pradesh which was ranked the most remote with an index of 69.71.

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One of the areas where this remoteness has affected the people of the State in a real way is in the poor Credit-Deposit ratio. 249 The Net State Domestic Product of Nagaland during 2001 was recorded at Rs 2,23,042 lakhs, up from Rs 10,547 lakhs during 1980-81. These may be divided into the following: Primary sector share -- 33.7% with 70% workforce, Secondary sector -- 14.1% Tertiary sector -- 52.2% (down from 61.9% during 1993-94).

This clearly shows need for holistic planning and adequate strategizing of development priorities. This means, first and foremost, identification of the inherent and natural strengths, as well as weaknesses, of Nagaland – for instance, it is clear that Nagaland cannot compete with others in traditional agriculture (“bulk production” of food) or in the secondary sector. This need is all the more so in the context of a small, “fragile”, yet strategic, state like Nagaland. The percentage of total workers to total population was 42.74% during 2001. What is of concern is that there is a rising trend in marginal workers, underemployment and unemployment. It is not surprising when the hilly terrain of the State still provides employment to 72.65% of total labour force through agriculture and its share to the State Domestic Product is only 33.7%. Happily, efforts are now being made to diversify the economy so as to make it more robust. This is reflected in the high contribution of the Tertiary sector to the State Domestic Product. However, what needs to be kept in mind here is that the public administration share to the Tertiary sector is about 17% which delivers a big dent in the total share! The communitization process of essential services, including their restructuring to suit community strengths, as well as recent initiatives to promote tourism and the Chief Minister’s Corpus Fund to assist employment generating private initiatives will, hopefully, give much needed relief by providing employment to those without jobs.

Nevertheless, in 48 years of Statehood, Nagaland has made significant progress. The administrative reach has extended to the far corners of the State, which is one way of addressing the problem of ‘remoteness’. Important infrastructure has been laid and connectivity within the State has improved. Nagaland has also made tremendous progress in all major sectors of human development. Its literacy rate has reached 80.11% from a mere 17.91% in 1961. Its sex ratio, CBR, CDR, IMR and MMR rates are better than the national average. Life expectancy is 73.4 years. The per-capita income has also climbed

129

above the national average as per 2001 figures. However, the major challenges which confronted the State in the beginning still remain. Because of this, in most cases, the figures and statistics, even though impressive, do not reveal the complete picture. For instance, while the literacy rate is encouraging, the quality of education has suffered and the unemployment rates, especially of educated youth, are a real cause of concern. Problems related to infrastructure remain. There is also the question of mobilization of internal resources, especially through exploitation of the State’s natural resources. Strategic planning and intelligent investments will be as important as finding sources of funding.

The State is at a crucial stage in its trajectory of growth. The rich social capital of Naga communities, the general resilience of the society, the varied and rich environmental capital and the mineral wealth are the inherent strengths to build upon for a faster and sustainable progress. Through various innovative policy interventions, the State Government is making efforts to tap into this rich social capital and to bring the people back into the centre of decision-making. One of them is the Nagaland Communitisation of Public Institutions and Services Act, 2002, where management of Government assets is being turned over to the village communities. The people have responded favourably although the initiative is still in its infancy.

A concise glance at the Nagaland economic scenario reveals that the sectoral structure of the economy began to evolve since the beginning of planning era with building up of social overheads and infrastructures for economic development. Nagaland state has made little progress in several fields like agriculture, transport, banking, power and human development like education, health institutions and water supply. However, in general, it appears that the state has failed to lead its economy into the right direction regardless of the tremendous efforts and investments made towards economic development. The various indicators of economic development prove that Nagaland could not achieve the expected level of development.

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REFERENCES

Aier, Tiarenla, (2002). Development Constraints in Nagaland, published in

Thomas, C.Joshua and Gurudas Das (eds.) Dimensions of Development in

Nagaland, Regency Publications, New Delhi.

Bansal, Rajiv. (2004). IAS, Commissioner & Secretary, Government of

Nagaland, Department of School Education, Kohima - 797001, Nagaland.

Government of Nagaland, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Statistical

Handbookof Nagaland, (2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and

2009), Kohima.

Government of Nagaland, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Economic

Survey of Nagaland, (1999-2000, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05), Kohima.

Government of Nagaland, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Estimates of

State Domestic Product of Nagaland from 1993-04 to 2002-03, 1999-

2000 to 2003-04, 1999-2000 to 2006-07, Kohima.

Important Economic Indicators of Nagaland, (2008). Published by Government

of Nagaland, Directorate of Economics and Statistics.

Jamir, Alemtemshi (2002). Development Constraints In Nagaland, published in



Jamir, B.Kilangla, (2002). Development Constraints in Nagaland, published in



Nagaland State Human Development Report, 2004. Department of Planning and

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Overview: Insurgency & Peace Efforts In Nagaland. Viewed on 24th Feb. 2011.

Website http://cdpsindia.org/nagaland_insurgency.asp Centre for

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http://cdpsindia.org/nagaland_insurgency.asp

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Road map for Universalization of Elementary Education Perspective Plan SSA

2010-2011 to 2011-2012, Nagaland. Prepared by: Nagaland Education

Mission Society, Govt. of Nagaland.

Sema, Akali (2006). Economic Development in Nagaland Prospects and

Constraints, in Sema. Akali, Sebastian, A.J. and Savino, N. (ed.s), (2006),

Nagaland University Teacher’s Association (NUTA), Nagaland

University.

Shukla, R.P and Buno Zetsuvi. (2006). Education Development in Nagaland.

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Zhimomi, Kuhoi K. (2004). Politics and Militancy in Nagaland. , Deep and Deep

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Documents

A BRIEF PROFILE OF NAGALAND - Shodhgangashodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/27964/9/09_chapter 4.pdf · 81 Photo no. – 1 show-casing population of Nagaland comprising of