Nagaland receives Rs 4.78 crore from NEC for cultural, tourism and skill initiatives

Nagaland has received Rs 4.78 crore from the North Eastern Council (NEC) in November to support a range of developmental programmes, including tourism promotion, youth and sports infrastructure, and indigenous cultural initiatives, according to an official release issued on December 9.

The funding formed part of NEC’s monthly disbursement for project implementation across the northeastern states. 

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) and the NEC Secretariat, Shillong, reported that Rs 56.22 crore was released to all eight states in November to boost infrastructure creation, livelihood support, cultural initiatives, seminars, research and innovation-led projects.

For Nagaland, the NEC emphasised support to multiple critical sectors including infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, culture and heritage, education, skill development and livelihood promotion. The council reiterated its commitment to timely fund flow and close coordination with state agencies to ensure meaningful outcomes.

In addition to allocations made to states, Rs 14.89 crore was released to various central agencies and cultural organisations to support regional events and academic engagements.

Key NEC-backed interventions during the month spanned areas such as community development for indigenous groups, animal feed production units, scientific pig-breeding facilities, piggery value-chain infrastructure, documentation of traditional medicinal knowledge, and tele-education expansion through smart virtual classrooms. Sports infrastructure development in Manipur was also supported under the same tranche.

The NEC further reported completion of a fire-safety and skill training initiative sanctioned in March 2023. This includes the installation of rainwater harvesting reservoirs at Dimapur and Khuzama and the development of infrastructure at a skill training centre in Chiechama. 

The project aims to strengthen fire safety preparedness and offer structured training for youth aspiring to join emergency and disaster-response services.