Hornbill Festival: Additional fund sanctioned for ENPO cultural troupes, says CM

November 30, 2023 14 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 30

Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio informed today that additional funds have been sanctioned specifically for the cultural troupes from Eastern Nagaland for the upcoming Hornbill Festival, scheduled to begin on December 1.

“We have sanctioned additional funds; we will take very good care of them, and this will not become an issue,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of the 21st general conference of the Dimapur Naga Students’ Union (DNSU) held at the NEZCC Amphitheatre, Dimapur, on November 29.

The issue relates to concerns raised by the Eastern Nagaland Peoples’ Organisation (ENPO) about the challenges faced by their participants in previous editions of the ten-day festival.

Consequently, the organisation boycotted the event last year and had initially decided to do the same this year. However, this decision was overturned during talks on November 22, indicating their participation in the 2023 edition.

Regarding matters related to oil exploration in the state, Rio underscored that it was up to the people to decide whether to pursue such an endeavor. Nevertheless, he stated that the Government of India and the State government were willing to take the matter seriously.

Responding to questions about the ongoing Indo-Naga peace talks and its outcome, he mentioned that while the State was not a part of the talks, it perceived the situation as having reached a deadlock.