Indian Navy bonds with Nagaland youth during Hornbill Festival

In a major initiative to connect the North East with the rest of the country and promote its development, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral R Hari Kumar visited Kohima as part of the ongoing Indian Navy outreach programme for Nagaland.

Admiral Kumar attended the annual 10-day Hornbill Festival, the largest celebration of the indigenous warrior tribes of Nagaland – on Wednesday and spoke on region’s contribution to the Indian defence foces.

Indian Navy has also set up a pavilion at the festival with the aim to promote greater maritime awareness, goodwill and job opportunities for the youth of Nagaland.

Hornbill, also known as Dhanesh bird, occupies an important place in the culture and folklore of the Naga tribes. The festival reflects the rich culture, lifestyle, and food habits of Nagaland.

As reported by IndiaNarrative.com earlier, Indian Navy had also organised a multi-specialty medical and wellness camp at the remotely-located district of Niuland in the state. It was part of a series of activities planned as an outreach from the IN to the North-Eastern States and building awareness about the Indian Navy.

Meanwhile, Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari assured earlier this week that the 14.93 Km project of four-lane from Dimapur to Kohima Road will be completed this month.

The Rs 387 crore project will not only provide better connectivity between Nagaland and Manipur but also reduce the travel time to a great extent.

During her visit to Nagaland last month, President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various projects related to education, road infrastructure and the financial sector.

President Murmu emphasised that the ‘Act East Policy’ of the government focuses on the overall development of the North-Eastern Region and expressed confidence that roads and bridges being built under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana will give a new boost to the connectivity in the region.

The President also noted that the literacy rate among women in the state is higher than the national average and Nagaland is the safest place for women in the country.

With about 70 per cent of the agricultural practice in Nagaland being traditional and organic, the whole North-East has the potential to become the organic food basket of the country.

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