President Murmu gives assent to FNTA Bill 2026

DIMAPUR, OCT 25 (NPN): President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill, 2026, unanimously passed by the Nagaland Legislative Assembly on September 3, 2026.
Nagaland chief minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio announced this in a post on social media platform X on Sunday. Rio, who is in Delhi, thanked President Murmu for granting assent to the Bill and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for coordinating the process.
“It’s a key step towards realising the aspirations of the people of Eastern Nagaland,” Rio stated.
Earlier, while addressing the Assembly, Rio said the FNTA would provide an institutional mechanism to address longstanding developmental disparities in Eastern Nagaland, promote inclusive growth and strengthen the unity and progress of Nagaland.
He acknowledged that the six eastern districts had experienced developmental deficits due to historical factors, difficult geography and limited State resources. Ministers, advisers and legislators broadly supported the Bill, emphasising that the arrangement was not intended to separate the region from Nagaland but to address regional inequalities.
The six districts under the proposed FNTA are Tuensang, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Noklak and Shamator. The authority is intended to provide a democratic, decentralised self-governing framework within Nagaland to address the region’s social, economic, educational, cultural and linguistic aspirations, with legislative, executive and financial autonomy in the spirit of Article 371(A).
62-member authority: The FNTA will comprise 62 members, including 40 directly elected members representing single-member territorial constituencies, with one-third of seats reserved for women; two members nominated by the Governor in consultation with FNTA from recognised tribes that are unrepresented or under-represented; and 20 elected MLAs from Assembly constituencies within the Frontier Nagaland Territory (FNT), serving as ex-officio members without voting rights.
Members will normally hold office for five years. Constituency boundaries will be determined by the State Government through a Gazette notification, while elections will be conducted under the overall control of the State Election Commission.
The executive authority will vest in an Executive Council comprising up to nine members, headed by a Chief Executive Member (CEM), along with a Deputy CEM and other members. The CEM and Deputy CEM will enjoy cabinet minister-equivalent protocol status, while other members will have the status of Ministers of State within the FNT.
Before the elected authority is constituted, the State Government may establish an Interim Council comprising up to 13 members nominated by the Governor on the recommendation of the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO), in consultation with respective Tribal Councils. Up to four elected representatives—one MP and three MLAs from the FNT—may be nominated as advisers to facilitate coordination with the Central and State governments. The Interim Council will function for a maximum of one year or until the first elected FNTA is constituted, whichever is earlier.
A key feature of the Bill is the transfer of 46 subjects to FNTA. These include agriculture and allied activities, tribal art and culture, non-reserved forests, irrigation, jhum cultivation, fisheries, health, school education, horticulture, labour and employment, land records and revenue, power and renewable energy, public transport, district roads, rural development, social welfare, tourism, Village Guards, veterinary and animal husbandry, water resources, sports, handloom and handicrafts, trade and commerce, housing, tribal affairs, public health engineering, village customary courts, food and civil supplies, markets and fairs, DUDA, and fire and emergency services up to district level.
FNTA will formulate integrated development plans and implement regional schemes. It may make laws, rules and regulations on transferred subjects, subject to the State Government’s general policy. Proposed laws must be approved by a majority of voting members, forwarded through the State Government to the Governor with the government’s comments, and receive the Governor’s assent before publication in the State Gazette.
Existing State laws will continue to apply, and State laws will prevail where they conflict with FNTA laws.
The state government will continue to provide administrative machinery. An IAS officer, preferably of Additional Chief Secretary rank and not below Principal Secretary rank, subject to availability, will be appointed as Chief Executive Secretary (CES) in consultation with the CEM. A dedicated FNTA Secretariat will function under the CES, with an additional commissioner for district administration posted at the headquarters.
Officers will remain in their respective State cadres and be governed by State service rules, disciplinary control and transfer policies. Preference will be given to officers and staff belonging to recognised Naga tribes of the FNT.
Grade III recruitment will continue through NPSC/NSSB for the State as a whole, while FNTA will have greater authority over Grade IV appointments, redeployment and rationalisation within its jurisdiction.
FNTA will receive annual allocations for administrative and developmental functions and administer funds placed at its disposal. The State Government will retain a significant role in policing, with an IGP Range-level IPS officer posted at FNTA headquarters to supervise police administration in consultation with the CEM. DIGP-level posts may be created at other locations if required. The State Government will also strengthen administration and policing in border areas, while FNTA will work with ENPO and Tribal Councils to maintain peace and support development.
The Bill provides for the continuation, without amendment or dilution, of Article 371(A), the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, and exemption from Panchayati Raj. FNTA will strengthen Village Councils and Urban Local Bodies as grassroots democratic institutions and may recommend the creation of new bodies to the State Government.
A State Government committee will examine backlog vacancies and determine how they should be filled under the existing reservation policy for the eight recognised indigenous Naga tribes of the FNT, in consultation with FNTA. The Bill also calls for promotion of tribal dialects, with local languages to be taught in educational institutions, as far as possible, alongside English and Hindi.
FNTA will be responsible for ensuring equitable development and establishing a Quality Control Board to monitor its projects. The Government of India may provide Special Development Grants to address underdevelopment and infrastructure gaps, with projects identified by FNTA in consultation with the State Government.
The illustrative list of projects includes a separate Nagaland University campus by upgrading Wakching Modern College; upgrading Mon Medical College to a regional institute; a National Institute of Information Technology; DIET/B.Ed institutions; engineering and management colleges; nursing and hotel management institutions; an agricultural university or research centre; a herbal medicine and Ayurvedic hospital and research centre; FNTA history, language and culture research centre; handloom and handicraft research centre; polytechnic/ITI facilities; inter-district four-lane roads; and FNTA guest houses at its headquarters, New Delhi and Guwahati.
Other proposed projects include an Eastern Frontier Railway connecting Kiphire with Naginimora/Tizit, a domestic airport or airstrip, a Trans-Eastern Frontier Highway connecting Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur through the FNT, and international trade centres.
A Joint Monitoring Committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Nagaland government, FNTA and ENPO will periodically review implementation of the February 5 Memorandum of Agreement (MoA).
The Bill provides for suspension or dissolution of FNTA if its Executive Council fails to discharge its functions, the authority fails to perform its assigned duties, or political instability prevents administration according to law. The State Government may recommend action to the Governor, who may suspend or dissolve FNTA and appoint an Administrator for a period not exceeding six months.
The administrative structure will be reviewed after 10 years to assess its effectiveness in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of the Frontier Nagaland Territory.
The proposed framework seeks to establish a regional governance structure for Eastern Nagaland while retaining the State Government’s role in legislation, civil services, policing, financial oversight and subjects excluded from or only partially transferred to FNTA.