Nagaland Legislative Assembly will begin its budget session from March 2, with the proceedings set to be held in two phases, officials said on February 25.As per the provisional calendar issued by the Assembly Secretariat, the session will open with the Governor’s address to the House. The first phase of the session will continue till March 12 and will have five sittings. The dates for the second phase will be notified later.During the second phase, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is expected to present the state budget for the financial year 2026–27. The budget presentation will be followed by a general discussion in the House on the government’s financial proposals.
In the first phase, members will raise starred and unstarred questions and discuss matters of public importance. Annual administrative reports of various departments will be tabled. Committee reports and other official documents will also be placed before the House. Both government and private members are scheduled to introduce Bills and resolutions. A debate on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s address will also be taken up.The second phase will focus mainly on financial business. Reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) will be presented. The House will review trends in receipts and expenditure. Supplementary demands for grants for the financial year 2025–26 are also expected to be discussed. Important policy matters are likely to come up during the session. One of the key issues is the implementation of the agreement signed by Kohima and Dimapur to partially lift the Nagaland Liquor Total Prohibition Act, 1989 in their respective areas.
This will also be the first Assembly session after the signing of the tripartite agreement on the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) between the Centre, the state government and the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organisation (ENPO). The session gains further significance as it comes after the merger of Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs into the NDPP-led coalition government in the state.
