Nagaland FNTA Bill gets President's assent: What changes for east

President Droupadi Murmu has given her assent to the Frontier Nagaland Territorial Authority (FNTA) Bill, 2026, which the Nagaland Legislative Assembly passed unanimously on September 3.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio announced the assent in a post on X on Sunday, October 25, thanking the President and the Union Home Ministry for coordinating the process. He called it a key step towards realising the aspirations of the people of Eastern Nagaland.

What the FNTA is

The law creates a territorial authority with legislative, executive and financial autonomy for the state's six eastern districts:

• Tuensang
• Mon
• Longleng
• Kiphire
• Noklak
• Shamator

It is framed in the spirit of Article 371A of the Constitution and provides for decentralised, democratic self-government at the regional level within Nagaland.

Safeguards retained

According to the Bill, the special provisions of Article 371A, the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873, and the region's exemption from the Panchayati Raj system will continue to apply to the FNTA without amendment or dilution.

Interim council first

Until the FNTA is formed through elections, the state government will set up an interim council to run its affairs. The council will serve for one year from its constitution, or until the first elected FNTA is in place, whichever comes first.

How it came about

The Bill follows a memorandum of agreement signed on February 5 between the Centre, the Rio-led state government and the Eastern Nagaland People's Organisation (ENPO). The agreement came after long talks over the ENPO's demand, first raised in 2010, for a separate state for eastern Nagaland, a demand rooted in concerns about the region's development deficit.

The ENPO represents the Chang, Khiamniungan, Konyak, Phom, Sangtam, Tikhir, Yimkhiung and Eastern Sumi tribes of the six districts.

What's next

With the assent in place, the next steps are the formation of the interim council and, later, elections to the authority. The FNTA is meant to let the people of eastern Nagaland shape their own social, economic, educational and cultural development.