Kohima, 24th September 2026 (Nokinketer News): Chief Minister Dr Neiphiu Rio on Thursday launched the Chief Minister’s Fellowship Programme, Nagaland (CMFPN), and the NEDFi-TEDF research project titled “Strategic Interventions for Endogenous Development through Export Promotion of Niche Agricultural Products, Advancement in the Creative Economy, and Diversification of Investment in Nagaland” at the CMRC Conference Hall, Kohima.
The initiatives were launched under the initiative of the Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) in collaboration with the North Eastern Development Finance Corporation Ltd. (NEDFi).
Speaking at the programme, Rio said the two initiatives shared a common objective of identifying Nagaland’s strengths and capacities, understanding emerging opportunities and challenges, and preparing the State for the future.
He said Nagaland had immense potential in agriculture and horticulture, tourism, music, arts, culture, sports and other emerging sectors, stressing the need to translate this potential into economic opportunities through enterprise, investment, markets and exports, particularly for creating employment.
Welcoming the research focus on the creative economy, Rio said Nagaland possessed artists, musicians, designers, sportspersons, entrepreneurs and young innovators with considerable talent. He said the creative economy was not limited to culture and entertainment but also encompassed livelihoods, enterprise, tourism, technology and employment.
He said the State’s efforts to create, brand and promote Nagaland, while using its culture and creativity as instruments of economic growth, were important. Culture, he added, could serve as a bridge between Nagaland’s local identity and national and global platforms.
On the CMFPN, Rio described the programme as an investment in human resources and in young people who could contribute to Nagaland’s development in the years ahead. Addressing the 18 selected fellows, he encouraged them to make full use of the opportunity to gain exposure and interact with policymakers, administrators, professionals and development experts.
He stressed that the fellowship should go beyond completing assignments and receiving certificates, urging the fellows to derive meaningful experience from the programme.
Rio said the State’s objective was to build a more resilient, innovative and investment-ready Nagaland where resources, people and ideas could generate opportunities, entrepreneurship and innovation could be supported, and private enterprise could work alongside public investment.
He also underscored the importance of partnerships with private and educational institutions, civil society, development organisations and partners from across India and abroad, while remaining rooted in Nagaland’s identity, values and traditions.
Rio appreciated IDAN, NEDFi and all institutions and individuals involved in bringing the research and fellowship programme to fruition. He expressed hope that the research findings would inform policy, encourage discussion and lead to concrete action.
Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of IDAN, Abu Metha, said IDAN, in partnership with NEDFi, had undertaken an extensive grassroots study covering all 17 districts, nearly 300 villages and more than 8,000 inputs.
He said the study brought together grassroots perspectives, data and inputs from experts, academics, development practitioners, government officials and other stakeholders. The research identified strengths in agriculture, horticulture, textiles, human capital and the creative economy, while also highlighting gaps in value addition, market linkages and promotion.
Metha said the research should go beyond documentation and contribute to policy formulation, strategic planning and concrete action.
Highlighting the study on Nagaland’s creative economy, he said it covered music, art, sports, tourism, textiles, handicrafts, handlooms and events. He noted that the State had placed considerable emphasis on the sector and that Nagaland’s approach had attracted interest from other states and international partners.
On the fellowship programme, Metha said the initiative was inspired by his experience with the International Visitor Leadership Programme of the US Department of State in 2014, which demonstrated the value of exposure to global networks, best practices, governance and policy approaches.
He said the CMFPN was fundamentally an investment in people and Nagaland’s youth. The 18 fellows, selected through an open application and interview process, will receive exposure to government institutions, NGOs and international missions, besides mentorship from senior leaders, bureaucrats and technocrats.
The fellows will also undertake assignments and internships with government departments and institutions, gaining practical exposure to flagship programmes and sectors including agriculture, MSMEs, industry, tourism, sports and the Hornbill Festival.
Metha said the programme aimed to equip the fellows with knowledge, experience and networks so that they could contribute meaningfully to society and become assets to Nagaland. Congratulating the selected fellows, he urged them to make full use of the opportunity, stressing that “knowledge and experience gained by one should be knowledge and experience gained by all.”
The CMFPN, implemented by IDAN, was first proposed in 2024 and received an allocation of ₹2.50 crore in the State Budget 2025-26. The programme seeks to provide young professionals with practical exposure to governance, public policy and development processes, while creating opportunities for them to contribute their knowledge and skills to the development of the State.
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