Dimapur: Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav on Tuesday inaugurated the third Made in Nagaland Centre at YouthNet in Chumoukedima, providing a platform for locally made products and entrepreneurs seeking wider markets.
Speaking at the inauguration, Yadav said the centre could help connect Nagaland’s traditional skills, agricultural products, food traditions and creative work with larger markets and create sustainable livelihood opportunities.
He said the state’s indigenous crafts, textiles, agricultural products, food traditions and artistic expressions could generate sustainable livelihoods with better market access.
Yadav said the Made in Nagaland initiative was conceived to bridge the gap between local producers and larger markets, and appreciated YouthNet for taking the initiative forward.
The first one-stop Made in Nagaland platform was launched in 2018 with 81 entrepreneurs. It has since grown to around 350 entrepreneurs offering about 600 products from across Nagaland’s districts, he said.
Yadav said the initiative was particularly relevant to youth, women, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and rural communities. He stressed the need to encourage young people not only to seek employment but also to create jobs.
He also called for greater collaboration among government departments, financial institutions, educational institutions, private enterprises, civil society and organisations such as YouthNet.
Yadav said the initiative’s success should be assessed by the number of sustainable entrepreneurs and livelihoods created, women economically empowered, traditional skills preserved and local products reaching markets outside Nagaland.
Adviser to the Industries and Commerce Department and YouthNet founder Hekani Jakhalu spoke about the organisation’s work behind the Made in Nagaland Centre.
Jakhalu said YouthNet was established in 2006 to change the mindset of young people towards entrepreneurship and encourage them to create employment opportunities rather than depend solely on government jobs.
She said the first Made in Nagaland Centre was opened in Kohima in 2018, while the Chumoukedima facility is the third such centre.