CHUMOUKEDIMA, SEP 8:
Governor Nand Kishore Yadav on Tuesday urged to turn “Made in Nagaland” into a platform for jobs, entrepreneurship and wider markets for local products.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Made in Nagaland Centre in Chumoukedima, he said the initiative could help transform the state’s indigenous crafts, textiles, agricultural products, food traditions and artistic expressions into sustainable sources of livelihood.
The governor said the first one-stop Made in Nagaland platform, launched in 2018 with 81 entrepreneurs, had grown to around 350 entrepreneurs and 600 products from across Nagaland.
He stressed the need to support youth, women, MSMEs and rural communities with skills, finance, mentoring, technology, branding, packaging, digital marketing and market access. Young people, he said, should be encouraged not only to seek employment but also to become job creators.
Yadav also called for greater focus on quality control, standardisation, packaging, branding, supply chains and digital commerce, saying the “Made in Nagaland” label should stand for authenticity, quality, innovation, sustainability and trust.
He said Chumoukedima’s location as a gateway to Nagaland and its proximity to Dimapur made it well placed to showcase the state’s entrepreneurial potential. The Made in Nagaland centre, he said, should serve as a link between local producers and wider markets and between traditional skills and contemporary enterprise.
The governor called for collaboration among government departments, financial institutions, educational institutions, private enterprises, civil society and YouthNet. He said the initiative’s success should be measured by sustainable enterprises and livelihoods created, women empowered, traditional skills preserved and local products reaching markets beyond Nagaland.
Advisor for Industries and Commerce and YouthNet founder, MLA, Hekani Jakhalu said YouthNet was established in 2006 to encourage youth to pursue entrepreneurship and create employment rather than depend solely on government jobs.
Jakhalu said the first Made in Nagaland Centre was launched in Kohima in 2018, while the Chumoukedima centre was the third. She said YouthNet was working to create the right ecosystem for local entrepreneurs, including support for infrastructure, branding, packaging and access to finance.
She said financial assistance was being facilitated through the Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP) Scheme implemented by the Department of Industries and Commerce. Strengthening local businesses, she added, would contribute to the broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of IDAN, Abu Metha, congratulated YouthNet for creating employment opportunities and connecting local producers with markets.
Metha said YouthNet had emerged as an ambassador of the aspirations of Nagaland’s people and was working with government departments on youth empowerment and employment. Established by YouthNet, the Made in Nagaland Centre provides a platform for locally made products and seeks to help entrepreneurs expand their market reach. (Source: PTI)
