Substantial progress made on FNTA: Nagaland governor La Ganesan tells assembly

KOHIMA: Substantial progress has been made on the creation of a Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) for six eastern districts of Nagaland and state government is hopeful that any remaining concerns of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) will be addressed, governor La Ganesan told the Nagaland assembly on Monday.

Ganesan said the state government has submitted its comments on the draft of the memorandum of settlement in connection with the plan to create the new authority to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs in November 2024. Subsequently, two rounds of tripartite discussions have been held between the Centre, the state government and ENPO in New Delhi and Nagaland and considerable progress has been made in this direction.

The ENPO, which represents seven tribes from the six eastern districts, announced after the second tripartite talks in January that the central government’s representatives have agreed in principle to grant executive, legislative and financial autonomy via FNTA.

In December last year, the ENPO, which had been demanding a separate state for the tribals of the six districts — Mon, Tuensang, Kiphire, Longleng, Noklak and Shamator — “temporarily” accepted the central government’s proposal to create a separate authority that would grant the region a certain level of autonomy and help bridge the development gaps.

In November 2024, the Nagaland cabinet recommended that a new entity be established under Article 371A of the Constitution of India. Article 371A grants special provisions specific to the state of Nagaland. Under the proposed autonomous council model FNTA, the region’s administrative structure would include a mini-secretariat, but officials say functioning will be centralized in capital Kohima.

A team of the Union home ministry led by AK Mishra and the ENPO held the initial rounds of discussions. In 2023, the central government decided to bring in the Nagaland government and hold tripartite talks for a detailed and final agreement.

In his speech on Monday, the governor also acknowledged the collective steps taken by the state legislators to keep up efforts for a peaceful resolution of the Naga political issue.

The governor said a consultative meeting with the apex and influential tribal bodies and civil society organisations deliberating on the Naga political issue has been held, and chief minister Neiphiu Rio has apprised the home ministry of the desire of the people for an early solution of the Naga political issue.

AK Mishra, who is also the Centre’s emissary for the Naga peace talks, held discussions with different Naga national political groups in February.