Tongpang Ozukum urges youth to take advantage of region’s diversity

KOHIMA — The North East India youth leaders conclave on the theme ‘Empowering youth leaders: Bridging SDFGs and inclusive socio-economic development’ began on Tuesday at Capital Convention Centre, Kohima. 

The two-day conclave is being organised by the National Foundation of India in collaboration with the Directorate of Youth Resources and Sports, co-funded by the European Union and NEIMUN as a technical partner.

Speaking on the occasion, Advisor, Water Resources, Tongpang Ozukum, asked the young leaders to try to understand the intricacies of the socio-political complexities and promote unity in the Northeastern region.

Pointing out the rich cultural diversity of the region, he said the people of the region should use the diversity to their advantage instead of using it to divide the region.

Maintaining that the North East has a delicate ecosystem and is facing a threat due to human actions, he urged the youth to debate such issues and come up with measures to address climate change issues for now and for posterity.

He also said that Nagaland is trying to scale down government jobs and focus on innovation, skill development, and entrepreneurship, and cited that the COVID-19 pandemic has made people realise they should adopt the traditional method of farming, sustain themselves, and work for food security.

He further added that the North East has potential that needs to be tapped.

Kethosituo Sekhose, director of Youth Resources and Sports, spoke on the occasion about fostering inclusive development in the region and the role of young leaders.

He stated that the region is one of the country’s less developed regions, with many challenges such as poor infrastructure, connectivity, remoteness, hilly and difficult terrain, high operational costs, a lack of employment opportunities, subsistence farming, and resource constraints.

In the fields of health, education, infrastructure, etc., the states in the region are below the national average, he said, adding that not only is the region less developed, but there are also wide interstate and intra-state disparities in terms of the level of development, though it has immense potential for development.

He cited political violence, insurgency, ethnic conflict, migration pressure, inter-state disputes, and underdevelopment as some of the region’s problems.

Economic factors appear to be the more potent reason for the continued political unrest and uncertainty in the entire region. He said economic activities got concentrated in select pockets while vast areas remained inaccessible and backward even to this day.

According to him, inclusive growth is critical for both economic development and social harmony.

Young leaders, according to the director, play a critical role in fostering inclusive development. Their creativity, enthusiasm, and digital acumen, along with their capacity to inspire and lead, make them instrumental in addressing complex challenges, he said.

The two-day conclave will explore on various themes like ‘sustaining traditional livelihood practices: Ensuring food security and safe coexistence’, ‘Harnessing sustainability: Eco-tourism in North East India’, ‘Unleashing innovation and entrepreneurship for economic transformation in the North East’, etc.

A total of 100 delegates from all the Northeastern states are participating in the event.

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