Who Drives Nagaland’s Economic Engine?

There’s an old Naga proverb: “If you don’t sweat in sowing, you will weep in harvest.” Today, this bitter truth echoes across Nagaland. More than two decades ago, our Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio remarked, “Nagas are consumers, not producers.” Alas, that reality still tears at our conscience.

Take a stroll through any construction site, workshop, or small shop, and who do you see? Not our own brothers and sisters, but migrants from West Bengal, Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and even across borders. They work round the clock as masons, electricians, carpenters, plumbers. While others sweat it out, many Naga youth wait for government jobs, contract works, or worse—easy money that drops like manna from heaven.

This “easy money” culture has eaten deep into our society. The virtues of our forefathers—hard work, honesty, simplicity, moral uprightness—now lie dormant like embers under ash. The love of money “by hook or by crook” is unravelling the very fabric of Naga society. Laziness has become a slow poison.

So, can we sit on and watch outsiders run our economy? Not if we want to reclaim our identity. It’s time to bring back the dignity of work and the pride of craftsmanship.

Where to begin? The road back starts with reviving skills and self-reliance. Some local NGOs, church bodies, and private initiatives have opened vocational centres to train youth in trades like carpentry, plumbing, tailoring, beauty and wellness, and modern farming. But these efforts are like droplets in a dry pond—they need to be scaled up massively.

At the national level, there are opportunities waiting to be tapped. Schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) and the Skill India Mission can equip youth with market-ready skills in construction, IT, hospitality and agriculture. The Startup India initiative offers mentorship and funding for small businesses, while Atmanirbhar Bharat promotes local manufacturing and entrepreneurship. Yet, how many of our youth or local leaders are actively pursuing these schemes?

We need to flood homes, churches and schools with messages like: “There is dignity in every trade.” Let youth hear from Naga farmers, carpenters, electricians, and small business owners—not just civil servants. Let them see peers who are thriving through honest toil and think, “I can do that too.”

The state government can launch a “Skilled Naga Mission” at the state-level to train thousands of youth in critical trades. Use central schemes like PMKVY and link them to guaranteed local placements. Provide microloans and mentorship to encourage Nagas to open shops, workshops and service centres.

The government can also ensure that contractors hire and train local labourers rather than importing workers wholesale.

Make community service and hands-on apprenticeship mandatory in schools and colleges. Every youth should spend a month learning basic trades—helping build a house, wiring an outlet, repairing a motorbike, growing vegetables.

Civic bodies and faith groups can hold skill fairs, encouraging youth to take pride in professions traditionally seen as “lowly.”

If we continue as consumers, we will soon be mere spectators in our own land. The revival of a work culture must start now—through the sweat of honest labour.

We can no longer expect others to build our homes, light our lamps, or feed our families. Either we roll up our sleeves now or resign ourselves to dependency forever. The choice is ours.

After all, as a proverb reminds us, “If you don’t plough in spring, you’ll beg in harvest.”

Mathew Rongmei