Future of Nagaland lies in exploiting opportunities in agriculture — Jagdish Mukhi

Dimapur, Oct. 9 (EMN): Governor of Nagaland Prof. Jagdish Mukhi on Sunday said the future of Nagaland lies in exploiting the opportunities in agriculture and allied activities.

He said value addition has to be created and organic certification is necessary to fetch good prices.

He was speaking at the 70^th Plenary of the North Eastern Council (NEC)  at Guwahati, Assam on Sunday.

The governor shared that commercial crops like coffee and rubber needs to be given a “big push”, while horticulture is another area that has immense potential; crops like orange, kiwi, passion fruit, cucumbers and pineapples are suited for the soil and climatic conditions of the state; and spices like ginger, turmeric and Naga King chilli are grown in abundance.

“We are living today in an age of advanced digital technology, where online services have made many services accessible to the common man at the click of a button. Many young aspiring entrepreneurs are starting small businesses operating from home and marketing their products online. However, the state is still struggling with poor internet connectivity,” he stated.

Mukhi therefore requested the NEC to intervene in providing infrastructure for high speed internet connectivity up to the village-level in the entire region.

Asserting that Nagaland is facing acute power deficit, he said NEC should also include power in the thrust areas.

He said Nagaland generates only 26 MW against the peak requirement of around 115 MW. In this regard, he said the state government has submitted a proposal for the construction of 2.4 MW Duilumroi Hyrdro Electric Project at Peren district to the NEC for gap funding. He therefore requested NEC to consider sanctioning the project.

While asserting that capacity building and skill development can give gainful employment in the region, he said Nagaland is struggling with the problem of employability of the educated unemployed youth.

“It may be noted that the youth of today have high aspirations and expectations. When these aspirations are not met, frustration sets in and they are easily misled to take to crime and anti national activities. Most northeastern states are confronted with insurgent activities and if we are to usher in peace and development in the region, the youth must be provided with opportunities to lead productive lives,” he shared.

He said these youths need to be imparted with the skills in tourism and hospitality, aviation, nursing, para -medics, wellness industry, music and entertainment, IT and the BPOs, sports, therapists, and specialized skills in automobile sector and in the construction sector.

“The various Naga tribes have their own rich costumes, patterns and crafts. Basketry, using bamboo and cane is an integral part of Naga activity. Nagaland has immense potential to export readymade apparel, handlooms, handicrafts and textile products to Southeast Asian countries,” he added.

Mukhi also asked the NEC to give due emphasis for development of loin-loom production of the NE states to promote this traditional industry.

‘With the introduction of the flagship initiative ‘Startup India’, the state government has also launched the Nagaland Start-up policy which aims to establish Nagaland as a model startup leader in the region, by creating a culture of entrepreneurship that nurtures creative and innovative youth, allowing them to build successful start-up companies, become job creators and contribute towards building a healthy and sustainable economy’, he said.

Mukhi shared that the initiative aims to facilitate growth of at least 500 start-ups in the next five years, with a focus on establishing innovative “Made in Nagaland” products and services.

He therefore urged the NEC to intervene in establishing an innovation hub that can house all the startups under one roof, on PPP mode.

Meanwhile, he said civil service aspirants from Nagaland cannot afford to go to New Delhi for coaching as the fees charged by the institutes have become “very high”.

He suggested the NEC to come forward in this field by tying up with a reputed coaching institute for providing online coaching classes at subsidised rates.

Further, he requested the council to include sports as one of the thrust areas.

“Apart from creating sporting infrastructure, there is a need to create opportunities for developing the skills and providing exposure to young people at the national and international levels. It will be very good if NEC could organise junior level interstate football tournaments in line with senior level Dr. T Ao Northeast football tournament, which will give the necessary platform and exposure for young talents,” he added.