Nagaland chief minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio led a high-level official delegation to New Delhi, which included deputy chief minister Y. Patton, members of the state Cabinet and members of the sub-committee of the Political Affairs Committee (PAC).
According to DIPR, the delegation met senior Central leaders, including Union home minister Amit Shah, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union defence minister Rajnath Singh, among others. During the meeting with Shah, Members of Parliament Supongmeren Jamir (Lok Sabha) and Phangnon Konyak (Rajya Sabha) also participated as members of the PAC sub-committee. During the meetings, the delegation raised several important issues with the Government of India.
Indo-Naga peace process: Referring to the four-point resolutions adopted at the Consultative Meeting on Naga Political Issue held on September 12, 2024, the chief minister reiterated that the Indo-Naga peace talks had been declared as talks at the highest level. He stressed the need to restore the talks at the highest political level through appointment of an interlocutor of political or ministerial rank to expedite negotiations and work towards an early and honourable solution. The Union home minister responded positively and indicated that a Minister of State for Home Affairs and officials from the home ministry would be appointed for the Naga talks.
Financial pattern for Nagaland: Rio highlighted the state’s financial situation, stating that Nagaland was a special political state formed out of a political agreement, and that under the 16-Point Agreement, funds required for administration and development were to be provided from the Consolidated Fund of India.
In his official representation, Rio stated that when Nagaland became a state in 1963, it was recognised as a special case because of its history, political context and limited economic base.
He said the 16-Point Agreement acknowledged that the state began under exceptional political, geographic, security-related and economic circumstances, and under Point No. 11, the Government of India undertook to bear the state’s expenditure from the Consolidated Fund of India to enable governance and institutional stability. He termed this a nation-building commitment.
He added that withdrawal of this arrangement in 1989, without dialogue or concurrence of the state, disrupted the foundational understanding and left Nagaland in a structurally vulnerable fiscal position requiring resource gap funding through Revenue Deficit Grants and other support.
Rio appealed for restoration of this financial pattern. The Union home minister responded positively and assured that the request for funding from the Consolidated Fund of India would be undertaken. The same issue was also flagged to the Union finance minister, who assured support of the Government of India.
Protected Area Permit (PAP): The issue of lifting the PAP regime in Nagaland and relaxation of the Free Movement Regime (FMR) was raised again. Rio said the state Cabinet had deliberated on the re-imposition of PAP on January 6 and March 27, 2025, and the state government had written to the MHA on January 22, 2025 seeking review of the decision and restoration of earlier relaxation. He said the Cabinet again discussed the matter on December 16, 2025 and February 3, 2026 and decided to pursue complete relaxation of PAP in Nagaland.
He also informed that letters had been sent to the Government of India on July 18, September 10, November 17 and November 28, 2025 seeking review of the re-imposition. The Union home minister assured that the matter would be positively examined.
Free Movement Regime: Rio stated that Nagaland shared a 215-km international boundary with Myanmar, across which Naga communities maintained deep-rooted social, cultural and economic ties with regular cross-border movement. He said the state Cabinet deliberated on the issue on January 6, 2025 and the state had requested restoration of the earlier FMR. In a letter dated July 18, 2025, he had drawn the Centre’s attention to hardships caused by changes in FMR guidelines and sought a more flexible, context-sensitive approach balancing security with traditional rights. The matter was again discussed by the Cabinet on February 3, 2026, which decided to take up the issue once more with the MHA for re-examination of the revised FMR guidelines. The Union home minister gave a patient hearing and assured a positive approach in examining the matter.