The Nagaland government has decided to summon a special session of the State Assembly to pass legislation establishing the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) and will seek the Centre’s approval to grant the new body legislative powers, the state said after an emergency Cabinet meeting on Monday, July 6. The meeting, attended by members of the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU) and senior officials, was held amid rising concern over delays in implementing the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on February 5 between the Centre, the Nagaland government and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) for creation of the FNTA.
A Home Department statement said the proposed bill will include provisions to confer legislative authority on the FNTA over subjects and departments transferred to its jurisdiction. Those provisions, the statement added, will be subject to consultation with and approval from the Ministry of Home Affairs and must conform to constitutional requirements.
The Cabinet also resolved to request that the Centre raise the proposed development package for eastern Nagaland from ₹5,000 crore to ₹10,000 crore. Officials noted that an FNTA Bill had already been drafted and introduced during the Assembly’s Budget session but its passage was deferred after the Ministry of Home Affairs flagged constitutional issues relating to conferral of legislative powers and said they were still under examination.
Reiterating the state’s commitment to Nagaland’s special status, the Cabinet described the safeguards under Article 371(A) as “sacred and sacrosanct” and said they will not be altered or diluted. A delegation led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, accompanied by ENLU members, will travel to New Delhi to seek the Centre’s guidance, advice and approval on the proposed law and on the conferral of legislative powers to the FNTA.
The move follows the ENPO’s announcement of a public rally and shutdown across eastern districts on July 10 to protest the implementation delay. The state government has appealed to the organisation to reconsider the planned agitation, pointing to the steps now being taken to establish the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/nagaland/story/nagaland-to-hold-special-assembly-session-for-fnta-law-cm-rio-to-meet-centre-over-legislative-powers-1420062-2026-07-07?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2026-07-07 11:16:00
