Kohima: Governor Nand Kishore Yadav on Tuesday urged the state's youth to look beyond government employment and develop skills for entrepreneurship and other livelihood opportunities, saying an enterprising young generation could play a key role in building a self-reliant Nagaland.
"Government employment alone cannot meet the aspirations of every young person. We must therefore be open to different pathways and opportunities," Yadav said while addressing the State Level Youth Festival 2026 at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here.
"With skill, determination, perseverance and an enterprising spirit, our youth can build independent lives and contribute significantly to a self-reliant Nagaland," he said.
Yadav said talent needed to be supported by knowledge, practical skills, discipline and continuous learning, and encouraged young people to explore digital technology, entrepreneurship, agriculture, tourism, handicrafts, creative industries and other emerging sectors.
"A skill acquired today can become a lifelong asset-opening opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and economic independence," he said.
He said skills were not acquired only in classrooms but also through practice, experience, mentorship and hard work.
The governor also highlighted a skill-based economic sustenance initiative of the Youth Resources and Sports Department for athletes, under which 80 athletes have been trained in alternative skills including crochet, floristry, pickle-making, baking and mobile repairing.
"I am particularly pleased to see the display of handmade products and creative works by students of the State Sports Academy," he said, commending the initiative to equip sportspersons with skills beyond their sporting careers.
Yadav said sport teaches discipline, teamwork, perseverance and leadership, while sportspersons should also be encouraged to develop skills beyond the field of play.
The governor also stressed the need for young people to preserve Nagaland's cultural heritage while using their creativity to present traditional art forms in new ways.
He described the youth festival as more than a competition, saying it was a platform for learning, interaction, creativity and personal growth.
"Despite our diverse languages, traditions and cultures, we are all part of one Nagaland and one India," Yadav said, urging participants from different districts to build friendships and learn from one another.
Advisor for Youth Resources and Sports Department, S Keoshu Yimkhiung said Nagaland's youth were gifted with creativity, courage, energy and a strong sense of community, and called for these qualities to be strengthened through knowledge, practical skills, discipline and confidence.
"Self-reliance begins with recognising what we can do and taking responsibility for what we can become," Yimkhiung said.
He urged young people to identify problems around them, develop skills and turn their ideas into action, saying the future of Nagaland would be shaped by youth who were prepared, determined and willing to take responsibility.
Secretary, Youth Resources and Sports, Anthony Ngullie said the initiative was aimed at helping athletes find alternative sources of livelihood after their professional playing years.
"Some may even retire from active sporting activities, and) can fall upon these alternative skills for their economic sustenance in future," Ngullie said.
Ngullie said the state-level festival, for youth aged 15 to 29, followed district-level competitions and would lead to selection of winners for the national-level event in New Delhi in January 2027.
The festival, organised by the Department of Youth Resources & Sports on the theme "Youth, Skills and a Self-Reliant Nagaland", featured competitions and activities including folk song, folk dance and declamation.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.