INTRODUCTION

Phek is a district in the Southern part of Nagaland, situated in the far noth-east India.
It shares boundary with Myanmar in the East, Zunheboto and Tuensang District in the
North, Manipur State in the south, and Kohima district in the west. The word ‘Phek’ is
derived from the native word ‘Phekrekedze’ which means construction of ‘meeting
places’ or ‘watch tower’. Phek was earlier an integral part of Kohima district and the
people of the region are known as Eastern Angami. It was made a separate district by
the government notification No. APA 15/12/71 on 19 th December, 1973 and
subsequently declared as district on on 21st December, 1973. The majority inhabitants
of the district were Chakhesang and Pochury tribe. The word Chakhesang itself is an
amalgamation of three sub-tribes, these are ‘Cha’ for ‘Chokri’, ‘Khe’ for ‘Khezha’,
and “Sang’ for ‘Sangtam’. According to 2011 census, it has the total population of
163, 294 with the total geographical area of 2026 km2 approx. which is the second
largest district by area in the state. Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people
while Christianity is the majority religion of the district. The district is blessed with
evergreen sub-topical and temperate coniferous forest which support myriad of Flora
and Fauna, and it is rich in natural and mineral resource. The geological survey in
Nagaland reports that there are one million tons of reserved Limestone at Wezeho,
decoratious and dimensional stones, coal in Akhegwo, Yasi and Molen. The people
are hospitable, friendly, open minded and practice Communitarian spirit in religious,
social, economic and political activities. Literacy rate of the district is 79.13%, i.e.,
male- 83.66% and female - 72.21%, which is little below the the state literacy rate,
i.e., 78.55%

With the ushering of western education, there has been a tremendous shift and
development from that traditional to a more modernized society in all the entire major
sphere of economic, social and political. However, the pace of change is slow that has
resulted in serious upheaval such as the conflict between traditional and modern
approach. There is an attempt to perpetually assert the authority by the illiterate
masses according to the traditional customs and norms towards the governance of
society which has been a major area of tensions. This is inherent in rural areas
particularly in the locality where illiterate masses influence social, political and
economic aspect. The supremacy of the customary tradition, primarily an agrarian
society has been a major hindrance for the development and prosperity of the society
which requires immediate intervention by the educated people. Thus, it is imperative
to identify the root cause of the problems one by one and contribute in ways and
means possible to resolve the issues hindering the progress of our society.
2. SOCIAL:-

Social problem are matters that directly or indirectly affect almost all the members of
the society. We can discuss the social problems faced by the local people in their day
to day lives and measures to resolve the pertinent issues under the following heads:-

2.1 Force Marriage

Despite the fact that in most countries of the world including India, child marriage,
practice of polygamy and other marital evils has been abolished, force marriage
appear in new guise in the form of arrange marriage which is inherent in our society
particularly in rural areas. The institution of marriage is sacred and arrange marriage
pronounced by the ministers of church is regarded as the right path of marriage, but
there is rampant force marriage where the daughters are coerced to marry against their
will by the parents for vested interest. More severely, many young women are force to
marry the person she had never heard or talk to despite their stern opposition.

Solution:-

 Force marriage is not propagated in broad daylight because there is an

enormous respect for the authority of the parents over their children future.
Their decisions are held in high esteem and attempt to disrupt their decision is
regard as intervention in the matters of privacy. Thus, we have expose the evil
practice lurking in the institution of force marriage to attract the attention of
feminist or other social and political activist.
 Proper laws should be enacted against the practice of force marriage to
punished the perpetrators and bring the institution of force marriage under the
ambit of law. The law enforcement agencies or other right activist should be
alerted in any case of suspicion that force marriage has been involved to
conduct enquiry or investigation and deal with the perpetrator accordingly.
 It is found that majority of victims does not want to disappoint their parents so
they had accepted the fate after much resistance. So, awareness campaign in the
form of seminar and education is utmost important covering both aspect the
right to choose husband and the evil of force marriage.

Force marriage is a crime against women hidden in the face of society which many
women carry the stigma in their day to day life. Our constitution guarantees freedom
of expression and thought, liberty of life and so on. Every women should have the
liberty to choose their own husband and shape their life according to the direction of
their choice for which we as an educated person have great role to play in shaping the
future of our women.

2.2. Religion:-

At present prospect, discrimination on ground if religion is very rare especially in the

majority Christian state like ours. However, if we dvelve deep into religion, there exist
inherent tension within the christianity sect itself although it does not escalate into
major conflict. There has been report here and there against the discriminatory attitude
of majority sect over the minority sect, for instance, in 2016, at Losami Village, when
a group of individuals shifted loyalty to Revival sect and attempted to set up a church,
the villagers threaten to destroy the construction and excommunicate them unless they
shifted their loyalty back to baptism under the pretext that Baptism is the only law
allowed by the law of the land which has been promulgated eversince the arrival of
Christianity in the village. Those individual who refuse to pay heed to the sanctions
were subsequently excommunicated.

Solution:-

India is a secular country, freedom of religion is guaranteed by our constitution and

explicitly declares there should be no discrimination on the basis of religion. In this
perspective, effort should be made to instill in the law making bodies for amendment
of village customary laws through seminar or other awareness campaign. The
perpetrators discriminating other on the basis of religion should be fined, jailed or
both.

2.3. Education:-

Lack of proper educational facilities and infrastructure is another problem. In many

rural areas, schools functions with poor infrastructure such as leaking toilet, broken
furniture, mouldy walls, lack of library and computer and other advance technologies.
In most of the government run educational institution, many regular teachers are
reluctant to take up the responsibility and appoint proxy teachers particularly the local
youth who barely qualified to be a teacher.

Solution:-

To eradicate the problems of educational system in our district, the educated youth
should take up the initiatives to organize free tuition to all the children whose parents
are not well educated to teach them. Night School should be introduced particularly in
rural areas. In this process farmers and particularly women can be educated. The
student bodies and village council should come together and deliberated on pertinent
issues and take up issues with the government inorder to improve the educational
system like setting up of proper educational infrastructure, libraries, computer
facilities and other. The village law enforcement agencies should implement the strict
rules and regulation in regard to proxy teachers.

2.4 Waste Management:

In most of the rural areas, there is lack of proper waste management including
dustbins, and yet to start separation of biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste.
There is poor waste management facilities and people through wherever they can
without caring for public health hazards.

Solution:-
We as an educated youth have the responsibility to organize awareness campaign to
disseminate information to the public on waste management and minimize the use of
plastic bags. We should organize monthly social works and also propagate for
maintainance of proper dustbin inorder to keep our surrounding clean. We have to
educate the people to segregate biodegradable waste from non-biodegradable waste
for disposal and recycling.

2.5. Health Facilities:-

Lack of proper infrastructure and proper medical facilities in government hospitals is

the major problem faced by the local people who have to incurred heavy expenses to
get treatment in cities. The major factor common to every hospital is either machinery
is unavailable or the machinery operators are unavailable, doctors works very little
and eager to run away from duty after one-two hours of duty. Most of the primary
health centre in villages does not have adequate medical team including medical
specialist and technician to operate the medical equipment, as well as there is lack o
basic amenities like medicine. Moreover, there is no ambulance in some government
hospitals which continue to be a threat to the life of the people in terms of
emergencies. Besides, there is also lack of adequate primary health centre in the
district.

Solution:

The educate youth and village council should come together and deliberate with the
state government to provide adequate ambulance facilities, setting of primary health
care in every villages and improve the medical facilities and infrastructures. The law
enforcement agencies should take strict action against those law enforcement agencies
failing to take up their duties.

2.6. Property Rights:-

Property rights is another problem faced every women in our society where women
have no right to inherit property, in other words, the property of the family has no
share for women. The traditional mindset rest on the fact that property ownership
cannot be awarded to women because when they abandon the family clans and also
the household once they are married, she become the members of her husband clans
and end up reducing the village area. An exception can made to few women who were
gifted with land by their parents in rare cases, ironically that too return to the male-
brothers or clans after her death, she cannot passed the property to her childrens, the
heir is preconceived, the male members of the family. In other words, property of
female is non-hereditary and hereditary to that of male.

In September, 2005, Supreme Court in a landmark judgement declared that Indian

Women would have an equal right of share in property as the men. The judgement
declares that women have the right to inherit ancestral property along with male
relatives. Despite the enactment of such legislations, instances prevail where women
have not been made aware of their rights. The urgent need is to communicate the
people the important of law so that the future of liberty and rights becomes a reality.
Solution:-

 A concerted effort has to be made to move towards an inheritance law in our

society that is not biased against the women.
 Seminar and awareness program should be conducted with special emphasis on
equal property rights to both men and women and help our society to be
exposed to modern ideas and concepts. It is imperative that government take
cognizance of the issue and enforce the property rights of women.

The progress of our society depends upon the welfare and progress of all the members
of the society in equal term, more importantly in a society where half of the members
are women.
3. POLITICAL:-

Political Problems in Phek District more often cropped up in times of election,

although we cannot deny the fact that it also exist in other times. Some of the major
political issues are:

3.1 Selling and Buying of Votes:

It is said that whoever have more money wins election, similar trend is found in the
district. Despite every effort to mitigate selling and buying of votes by voters sand
candidates respectively, when election approaches, it automatically become rampant.

Solution:

 The solution to this effect lies in the proper of education of the voters who
should be made to realize that by selling the vote, he/she sold his/her own
future.

 The limitations of financial expenses set by election commission in times of

election should be implemented strictly. The candidates that buy votes should
be either disqualified or bar from contesting even in the future to set a lesson.
NBCC has been doing a great job in this regard but it is not enough, every
educated youth have to lend hand to have corruption free election.

 Also, to migitate this trend, it is imperative we start small, i.e., with ourselves,
friend circle, family and gather group of intellectuals to conduct seminar and
spread awareness through direct or indirect means. Making use of media, and
other social networking sites can be an advantage.

3.2. Vote Manipulation:

Vote Manipulation is prevalent in both urban and rural areas in the form of clanism
whereby all the voters of one clan clubbed together to support a particularly candidate
for vested interest, such as in return for huge sum of money, contract, employment,
etc.

Solution:

Awareness campaign by educated person like us is imperative to make every

individual aware of their rights so that they do not fall prey of the vested interest few
ploying with the clans and more importantly we have to stay away from such clanist
politics to also be an exemplar to those ignorant masses.

3.3. Under Age and Non-existence of Voters, Proxy Voting:

Many parents unaware of the negative impact of underage enrollment of voters for
their children and distort their children's age to have maximum voting in the family
which is unlawful according to Universal Adult Franchise which fixed the age limit as
18 years and above. Also, there are numerous Voters ID of non-existing human being
and the expired people. Proxy voting is also rampant in almost all the polling station.
Sometimes, the polling agents of the contesting parties came to polling station with
mutual understanding to share the proxy vote equally and at times, the minority party
polling agents were coerced to accept the opposing party proxy votes due to numerous
pressure and threat by majority parties.

Solution:

All the cases of underage and Non-existence voters should be reported and scraped off
in the verification process. Also, the officials in the polling station should install the
highly trained officials or specialist to monopolised the situation of rampant proxy
voting. And surveillance camera should be installed in all the polling station. We as an
educated youth have obligations to propagate the importance of one man one vote and
as a Christian made aware of how sinful it is to lie.

3.4. Village Declarations, Laws and Non-adherence of Universal Adult Franchise:

Declaration of the Village to vote for one candidate is common in the villages of the
candidates. There are instances where the villagers also bar other candidate from
contesting besides the candidates they are favouring. The ordinances were
promulgated in such a way that no other candidate or party other than the party
supported by the village is neither allowed to campaign nor supporters to exercise
franchise in electioneering process and also ceased their voter Id. Sometimes, it is also
found that the father cast the vote of the whole family, Khel/colony by one individual
and so on.

Solution:

 This is against the spirit of Universal Adult Franchise. Every adult above the
age of 18 has the right to vote and also every individual have the right to
contest election, candidate should be allowed to campaign till the specified
deadline prescribe by the election commissioner.

 Debarring the candidates to campaign, voters from other party to cast votes and
also barring the potential rise of opposing candidate within the village
jurisdiction is an unlawful act, and law enforcement agencies should make sure
that everyone is given equal opportunity to cast vote, campaign and contest
election on the basis UAF.

 Education and proper awareness campaign is the key to solve all the problems.

Election is where corruption takes roots and it has to be addressed. We as an

intellectual have a great role to play. We owe obligations to our society to not only
practice free and fair election, but also propagate free and fair election to all our
friends, family and neighbors. We should be a catalyst by breaking the traditions and
norms that are outdated and help formulate new ones to suit the changing time and
circumstances. One man one vote, my vote my right, those are few important slogan
which should not only remain as slogan but be applied to our daily conduct esp. in
times of election.
4. ECONOMIC:-

Phek district the highest producing revenue in terms local economic generation in the
state but it still is far from being self sufficient and self reliance. We can discuss the
contributing factors on the backwardness of the district under the following heads:

4.1 Lack of Modern Technology

Being primarily an agrarian society, majority of the people are dependent on

agriculture. Despite the fertility of the land, production remain consistently low and
the farmers remain poor. They lack information on the global supply-and-demand
conditions, have limited access to crop management knowledge and waether forecast
that impact agricultural operations. Access to such informations will help tranform
their low-yeilding plot to highly productive plot.

Solution:-

We can act as mediator between the government and the people, and facilitates market
for the produce as well creating awareness on availability of demand and supply end
to end meet. We can also pressure the government to make policies tha tprovides for
better technology to the farmers to help transform our primitively low productivity
agrarian society to a flourishing society.

4.2. Lack of market:-

One of the major problem to the lack of market for the sale of product is poor
connectivity. The people also lack knowledge about marketing and an adequacy of the
products to attract traders.

Solution:-

As an educated youth, we can conduct interview with the local people and out their
available stocks and arrange market for the products within and outside the state. The
government can also be pressurized to find market for the locals, the indigenous
products both consumer and non-consumer goods.

4.3. Lack of connectivity:-

This issue has been a major obstacle for economic development of the region. Roads
are an important lifeline of the rural people. The poor connectivity hinders the
economic prosperity of the farmers as they were unable to utilised their produce to the
fullest.

Solution:-

The solution for this aspect is that we can pressurized the government to provide
better road facilities in the region as it not only affect the market but also the living
standard as well the life of the people.
4.4. Lack of Employment:-

The increasing number of educated but unemployed youths have placed upon the
shoulder of the government an enormous task to of creating jobs and the government
has done so little to reduce the misery and frustration of the youths. Today, youth
remain unemployed because of cripple political, social, cultural and economic system,
their putting their resource (education) to waste. This problem manifested from one
form to the other, the frustration of the youth is evident from the fact that larger and
larger group of educated youths are found swarming in insurgents groups and
indulging in anti-social elements. Moreover, youths are discourage from pursuing
their course of interest by family and social norms. No doubt, employment is thriving
but there still exist a perceived thought that government is the only secure
employment and exhaust all available energy to pursue other scope of employment
opportunities. Lack of skill whether technical or labor have proliferated this problem

Solution: It is true that government cannot provide job for the people, but government
job is not the only job. Therefore, providing scope for future economic option such as
training on skill development and encouraging small scale entrepreneurship could be
an alternative to this problem. We can create awareness on the availability of
employment opportunities in small scale entrepreneurship such as tailoring, carpentry,
farming, marketing indigenous shawls and products, hair cutting salon, mending of
shoes, micro and small enterprises such ascemen craft, textile industry, steel
fabrication, also, mobile and TV repairing, Computer and Networking, etc. Besides,
seminar should also be conducted for the youth by inviting experts from various fields
to enlightened the youth about the available scope of earning. Employment will rise if
more and more people start taking up entrepreneurship and if people made conscious
about the ‘dignity of labour’

4.5. Tourism:-

Phek district has huge prospect and potentialities to develop as a major tourist hub.
Rivers such as Tizu, Lanye, and sedzu have the capacity to develop as mini sports for
tourist activities because foreigners are very fond Yatch sports. There are fascinating
lakes such as Shilloi Lake, Chida and Dzudu. Also, the district is covered with
evergreen forest which can easily attract nature lover, in addition is a mountainous
region which the adventurous people can take it as sports. However, this available
scope are not utilised and has largely remained untapped. One of the major set back of
tourism despite such potentialities is poor connectivity. Improper management of
tourism industry such as river, lakes and natural ecosystem have denied the
potentiality of developing it in a major tourist hub.

Solution: The natural landscape, and others have the capacity to transform the district
into a major tourist hotspot. The first and foremost step is to open our district for
tourism. Proper management of natural resource and improving in connectivity can be
a major boost in this regard for the village and other civil societies including students’
union can be approach to sensitize the people on the importance of such activities and
collaborate for maintainance and preservation of lakes, rivers, forest and others.