Imchen decries poor funding, flawed policies in S&WC dept

Advisor for Soil & Water Conservation and Information & Public Relations, Imkong L. Imchen, on Monday highlighted several pressing concerns affecting the department of Soil & Water Conservation, including inadequate funding, flawed service rules, and the misallocation of key schemes.
Addressing a press conference at the directorate in Kohima, Imchen said that though the department had many capable officers, state funding had remained woefully short of requirement. He disclosed that the department received only Rs. 2.50 crore in 2023-24, Rs. 2.70 crore in 2024-25, and Rs. 3.50 crore in 2025-26.
He said that the total of these three years was less than the annual fund of some smaller departments. Imchen further revealed that the department has more than 100 highly qualified officers, including PhD holders, but most remain underutilized. “They have the academic credentials to diagnose people’s problems but lack resources to address them,” he said.
The advisor also highlighted the training institute at Zubza, describing it as the only one in the country offering subject-specific training for Soil Conservation Assistants. Candidates with a science background (10+2) undergo a two-year diploma course, and that only those trained at Zubza were selected to undergo interview as Soil Conservation Assistants. He added that the institute’s curriculum was exclusively focused on soil conservation, and not general studies. However, he said candidates were offered employment opportunities based on merit and seniority.
Imchen also criticised the department of personnel and administrative reforms for what he termed a “stupid policy” that replaced the pre-service training system for soil conservation assistants with an in-service model.
He said the earlier pre-service system, conducted at the Zubza institute, the only subject-specific training institute in India, produced skilled and employable candidates.
“The P&AR department has spoiled the system… imposing a policy that makes trainees salaried even before employment. That is stupidity,” he remarked, adding that recruitment should be through the NSSB.
He pointed out that the Zubza training institute, which trained 439 candidates over 21 batches, was once a model institution. However, the revised service rules now require government-funded in-service training, which he said is a financial burden and an illogical approach.
Imchen said he had repeatedly protested the decision, questioning why the state government should incur unnecessary expenditure by paying salaries to trainees.
He maintained that training should remain voluntary, and only those who successfully complete it should be considered for recruitment based on available vacancies. However, the present arrangement under the department of Soil and Water Conservation, imposed by P&AR department, mandates in-service training, which, he said, was a big difference.
Explaining the procedural framework, the advisor stated that, under the Rules of Executive Business- framed by Parliament for the Union and by the State Assembly for the state- each department’s responsibilities, duties, and assignments are clearly defined and allocated by the government.
Imchen pointed out that under the REB, the scheme under Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Natural Resource Management (NRM) is allocated to the S&WC department. However, in practice, he said the scheme has been handled by the Agriculture department despite several representations for review. He noted that the REB was like the holy Bible and the government must comply with them.
The advisor lamented that the department, despite being a full-fledged entity, functioned “like a small seal” under the Agriculture department’s control. “It cannot be termed a full-fledged department because it functions under the direction and control of Agriculture,” he stated.
Referring to the flagship programme RKVY, Imchen said it was an umbrella scheme with the Agriculture department as the nodal authority. He explained that NRM a component under RKVY, which also includes Soil Health Management. Both, he said, were presently under the command and control of the Agriculture Production Commissioner (APC), and as a result, the department of S&WC functions under the APC’s direction.
He further noted that in Nagaland, there are three departments- Land Resources, Water Resources, and Soil and Water Conservation- all dealing with the conservation of land, water, and soil.
He also disclosed that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for rejuvenating mine-prone areas had been pending since 2015. “When I took charge, I took up the issue with then Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and got it approved with a humble amount of Rs. 35 crore in 2024,” he said. The project, he explained, aims to restore barren and polluted soils and water bodies affected by coal mining, and Rs. 7 crore has been released so far for implementation.