 "Naga legislators seek investment from Maharashtra")
The delegation was led by Neiphiu Rio, chief minister of the state for 11 continuous years till he was elected to the Lok Sabha this year. He said he hoped the Narendra Modi government would give a needed push for development of Nagaland and the northeast in general.
Rio, who represents the Naga People’s Front, has already extended his support to the Modi government at the Centre. “The (Union) government has shown its commitment to extend its support to the northeast with the allocation of Rs 53,706 crore in the Budget. The government has proposed a sports university in Manipur. I hope the government will lay emphasis on increasing rail and road connectivity in Nagaland and other northeastern states and also promote hydro power projects to harness the potential of 3,000 Mw,” he said. He added that Centre and north eastern states can together promote investments in tourism and processing of medicinal plants.
Rio, who led a delegation of legislators, met the representatives of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry & Agriculture and sought their investments in Nagaland in the field of infrastructure, MSME, skill development.
On the issue of insurgency in Nagaland, Rio said that the military has been quite pro-active to deal firmly with the issue. ''There is a 17 years of ceasefire. There is no terrorism neither bomb blasts in Nagaland. Insurgents are targeting military personnel and not civilians. By and large Nagaland is safe. Modi government is expected to take further steps to curb insurgency,'' he noted.