DIMAPUR — The
NITI Aayog’s platform ‘NITI for States: An Integrated Platform to Learn, Share,
and Inspire Action Towards a Viksit Bharat’, mentions that there are 37 best
practices in the state of Nagaland.
These include 13 under Agriculture and Allied Services, five
under Education, seven under Health and Nutrition, three under MSME, three
under Skilling,
Livelihoods, and Labour Welfare, and four under Water and WASH.
However, there were no best practices under Manufacturing, Energy, and Tourism.
Under Skilling, Livelihoods, and Labour Welfare, the
highlights include empowering women through self-help groups (SHGs) in Phek
district, Mobile Skill Morung in multiple districts, and achieving wage parity
by Nagaland SHGs.
As per the NITI for States report, the Yeiikha and Yow
Miijaiim SHGs served as a case study for creating sustainable livelihood
opportunities for women. They promoted savings habits and mobilised resources
within the groups, enabling members to access microcredit loans, government
programs, and financial institutions for their entrepreneurial ventures.
Another best practice, "The Mobile Skill Morung,"
a self-contained training workshop-on-wheels, equipped with machinery and
equipment, was introduced by the state government. Its objective was to bring
skill training to the doorstep of rural youth and women, achieve cost savings
in the implementation of skilling programmes, tap into the rural economy as a
source of sustainable livelihood, and align with different skilling programmes to
enhance the skills of rural youth.
The practice included the travel of trainers, facilitated by
the Mobile Skill Morung, across the state to deliver training to rural youth
and women. Two-week training sessions were incorporated into the initiative and
conducted at the doorstep of the participants, eliminating the need for
extensive travel.
Emphasis was also placed on job roles such as blacksmiths,
masons, electricians, plumbers, and tile fitters. Skilling programmes were
aligned with market demand, ensuring that the training provided was relevant
and conducive to employment opportunities.
The best practice on SHGs achieving wage parity was stated
to have been accomplished with the intervention of the Nagaland State Rural
Livelihoods Mission (NSRLM), where SHG members were empowered through gender
sensitisation and advocacy efforts. After three years of persistent efforts,
women SHGs succeeded in achieving wage parity with their male counterparts to
some extent in several villages.
According to the report, a series of strategic interventions
were employed by village-level organisations (VLOs) to successfully address
challenges within the community. The aim was to foster equitable treatment of
women and recognition of their contributions.
Wage rates for women in Yaongyimsen village increased from
INR 200 to INR 350. In Unger village, women’s wages were raised to INR 250,
while men’s wages remained at INR 350. In Pongching village, a raise of INR 100
was achieved, ensuring INR 200 for women and INR 300 for men.
Under Water and WASH, the Kubolong block in Mokokchung
district’s "community-led forest conservation results in impactful
sustainability initiative" was included as a best practice.
As per the report, Salulamang village placed significant
emphasis on forest conservation. The community actively participated in
protecting and preserving the surrounding forests, ensuring the sustainable use
of forest resources, and preventing illegal logging and encroachments.
Salulamang village practices sustainable agricultural methods, including
organic farming and agroforestry techniques, which serve as an inspiring
example of how a community can work collectively toward environmental
sustainability.
Under Agriculture and Allied Services, the dwindling
population of Blyth’s Tragopan, the state bird of Nagaland, prompted the Angami
tribe in Khonoma village to halt their centuries-old hunting practice. With the
support of community leaders and the village council, they established the
Khonoma Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS), India’s first
community-led conservation project.
The funding for the project included partial funding from
the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) for the Khonoma
Nature Conservation and Tragopan Sanctuary (KNCTS). Civil society organisations
supported capacity-building programmes and awareness campaigns. The village
council also mobilised additional funds through voluntary contributions from
community members.
Meanwhile, the Phek Organic Large Cardamom Producer
Company—a farmers producer company (FPC)—started an initiative for the
development of a value chain for large, organic cardamom. The initiative
addressed gaps in organic crop production, efficient management of organic
livestock, and handling of wild crop harvesting. The processing, handling, and
marketing of organic agricultural products were also tackled with the help of
essential infrastructural, financial, and technical support.
Through this initiative, farmers formed partnerships with
organic businesses in both domestic and export markets, which expanded their
reach as sellers.
According to the report, the farming community in Dimapur
earned INR 54.6 lakh from selling 12 metric tonnes of large cardamom capsules.
The turnover from large cardamom sales rose from INR 100 lakh in 2018-19 to INR
250 lakh in 2019-20 and INR 320 lakh in 2020-21.
