Hekani Jakhalu commits to improving Nagaland's startup ranking

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• Hekani Jakhalu (centre), along with Sumeet Jarangal (second from right) and other officials, during the inaugural programme of the workshop in Kohima on Monday. (EM Images)

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• KOHIMA — As Nagaland remains stuck in the 'Aspiring Leader' startup ranking in India for the last three years, the Advisor for Industries and Commerce, Hekani Jakhalu, stated that she will take responsibility and is determined to improve the ranking in 2026.
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• The state's startup ranking is categorised into the following: Emerging Startup Ecosystem, Aspiring Leader, Leader, Top Performers, and Best Performer.
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• She was speaking during the inaugural programme of the SRF 5.0 States' Startup Ranking two-day knowledge exchange workshop, Nagaland Edition, hosted by the Government of Nagaland in collaboration with the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, India, on Monday at Hotel Vivor, Kohima.
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• When it comes to Nagaland, she opined that business and entrepreneurship are new concepts. She recalled that Nagaland had to implement many innovative programmes to encourage young people to view entrepreneurship not as a second choice but as a primary alternative.
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• During the two-day workshop, she advised the entrepreneurs not only to seek friendships but also to focus on collaborations and networking, which are crucial for entrepreneurs.

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• She stated that the Northeast is still far behind the mainland due to past circumstances and various issues, but expressed that this could be the time for the NE states to come together, share best practices, and see how they can learn from and strengthen each other.
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• In his keynote address, Sumeet Jarangal, Director of DPIIT, shared the journey of Startup India and provided an update that, when it started in 2016, there were 420 startups registered. By 2024, the number had risen to 1.6 lakh startups.
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• He also highlighted the various schemes available for startups, such as the Startup India Seed Fund Scheme, Credit Guarantee Schemes, and others. He requested the state government to collaborate with the banks responsible for working with these schemes in the Northeast states.
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• The director also stressed the benefits of various schemes, stating that they are designed for startups, but they will not reach the beneficiaries unless everyone works together.
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• Reny Wilfred, Joint Secretary of the Finance department and IDAN, also briefly shared the concerns of the states in availing various schemes and discussed the framework of the startup.
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• Keneirienuo T Zatsu, team leader of Startup Nagaland and Deputy Director of Industries and Commerce, Nagaland, sharing the journey of Nagaland's startup ecosystem, said that today Nagaland has five incubators: YouthNet Incubation Centre, Nagaland Tool-Room and Training Centre, Educentre School of Business, National Institute of Electronics and IT, and Nagabots.
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• She updated that Startup Nagaland has over 330 registered startups and 80 DPIIT-recognised startups across the state. These startups have generated around INR 58 crore in annual revenue and created over 1,000 jobs in the past year.
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• Further, she announced the agreement in principle between SIDBI, NEDFi, and the state government to jointly establish the Nagaland Venture Fund, citing that this fund will serve as a crucial financial instrument to provide early-stage capital to promising startups in the state, addressing one of the greatest challenges faced by entrepreneurs – access to funding.
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• The Indian startup story was presented by members of Startup India.