State chief secretary Dr. J. Alam has informed all concerned to prefix the honorific “Dr.” to chief minister Neiphiu Rio’s name, following the conferment of Doctor of Letters (Honoris Causa) by North East Christian University (NECU) on February 25, 2025.
In a circular, Alam stated that the honorary degree was awarded in recognition of Rio’s outstanding contributions to Human Resource Development. The circular further directed that henceforth, all official communications, references, and addresses pertaining to Neiphiu Rio should be prefixed with the title “Dr.”