Kohima, June 29 : The Nagaland government is upset with the Centre for not issuing passports to Naga youths, who want to go and work in labour force in Abu Dhabi and Korea, even after two years.
“The Centre is very suspicious about us because of various reasons,” additional director of employment and craftsmen training, Y. Vandanshan Lotha, told this correspondent.
He said the state government had applied for passports for Naga youths but the Centre had not issued them even after two years.
However, discussions are on with the Centre and passports for around 150 Naga youths are expected to be issued soon, he added.
State government officials are also in touch with the regional passport office in Guwahati.
Sources attributed the Centre’s half-hearted attitude towards issuing the passports to the political problem in Nagaland.
Lotha said the additional chief secretary of the development commission, Alemtemshi Jamir, had also taken up the issue with the external affairs ministry.
“The credit should go to our additional chief secretary,” he said.
This is not the first time that the Centre is reluctant to send Naga youths outside the country. Earlier, too, there were certain problems when the Naga government had sent some youths to Israel for training in the agriculture sector. Israel had reportedly supplied arms to Naga rebel groups in the past.
Of the 150 youths, 30 would be send to South Korea to work in a veterinary company for two years while the rest would work with Hyundai in Abu Dhabi.
The entire expenditure of around Rs 1.5 crore, 30 per cent of which has been released so far, will be borne by the state government.
Lotha said the Korean company CONA, which has signed a memorandum with the Nagaland government, was insisting that the amount be enhanced to Rs 2.5 crore. “I have refused and have advised the state government not to concede to the demand till the first batch of our youths are sent,” Lotha, who is also the co-ordinator of the plan, said.
Earlier, the state government had promised to mobilise a labour force of around 4,000-5,000 from Nagaland. However, it could not be fulfilled because of technical problems and the lukewarm attitude of the Centre.
Each Naga youth working in Abu Dhabi will getting $200 as monthly salary, while in Korea, they would get $400 a month.
Lotha said the amount was too meagre despite all the expenses being borne by the state government for two years.
He said some of the youths had already refused to go because of the delay in getting clearance from the Centre.