Kohima, July 6 — The Nagaland government announced on July 6 that it will convene a Special Session of the Nagaland Legislative Assembly to enact a law for the constitution of the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) and has asked the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO) to reconsider its planned rally and shutdown on July 10. The decision followed an emergency Cabinet meeting with the Eastern Nagaland Legislators’ Union (ENLU) and senior officials, where the FNTA process was discussed “extensively and in detail,” the Home Department said in a statement.
The government said the proposed special legislation will “include the necessary legislative provisions to confer legislative powers upon the FNTA in respect of the transferred subjects/departments for the districts under FNTA, in consultation and with the approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and in consonance with the Constitution.” The statement reiterated that the safeguards under Article 371(A) of the Constitution “are sacred and sacrosanct and shall neither be diluted nor altered in any manner whatsoever.”
Referring to the economic package in the Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed on February 5, 2026, the state said it will request the Government of India to enhance the centre’s commitment. “With regard to the Government of India’s assurance of an economic package of Rs 5,000 crore for the development of the ENPO areas, as mentioned in the MoA, the State Government requests the Government of India to enhance the proposed economic package to a minimum of ₹10,000 crore,” the statement said, arguing the increase is needed to accelerate development across Eastern Nagaland.
The Cabinet decided its resolutions will be formally communicated to the Centre. A delegation led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, together with ENLU members, will visit New Delhi to seek the “advice, approval and guidance” of the Government of India. In view of these steps, the government appealed to the ENPO to call off or reconsider the July 10 agitation.
The Home Department outlined the chronology since the February 5 MoA. The Department of Law and Justice was asked to draft a Bill under Clause 3.3 of the agreement. The draft was placed before the Cabinet on February 26, but constitutional issues emerged because the MoA envisaged legislative powers for the FNTA. The Advocate General advised that “under the constitutional scheme, Legislative Power cannot be conferred on to FNTA through a State Legislation” and that the State lacked competence to delegate equivalent legislative authority.
The state informed the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) of these concerns on March 6; the MHA later asked the state to proceed and the vetted draft was sent on March 17. After subsequent representations and the MHA’s request for more time, the government sought deferment of the Bill on March 27. The Cabinet said it remains committed to establishing the FNTA “at the earliest possible within the framework of the Constitution” and is awaiting the MHA’s further response.
Original Source: https://www.morungexpress.com/nagaland-govt-to-convene-special-nla-session-for-fnta-legislation
Category: Nagaland
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Publish Date: 2026-07-06 23:50:00
