Yarden Jamir | Mokokchung Times | November 10
Deputy Commissioner of Mokokchung, Shashank Pratap Singh IAS said today that vacancies in government jobs have reached a saturation point in Nagaland without any scope of new post creation. “Therefore, we have to promote our educated youths, skilled people and entrepreneurs to think beyond government jobs,” he opined.
He said this while addressing the inaugural function of a two-day workshop on ‘Packaging for Export of Food and Handicraft Products’ on Thursday at Hotel Whispering Winds, Mokokchung. The workshop is being organized by the Indian Institute of Packaging, Kolkata Centre in collaboration with Micro, Small and Medium, Enterprises- Development and Felicitation Officer, Dimapur, Government of India.
He said that the government of India has started a scheme, “One District One Product” in which the product for Mokokchung is coffee. He stated that the people are lacking behind in two issues, one is market linkages and the other is packaging and labeling.
On market linkages, he said, “we are still into our own cocoon and we produce for our own consumption only.” He added, “We don’t look beyond our own niche market, we don’t think of exporting to our neighboring states, distant states or to foreign countries.” Singh said that we have to generate surplus so that we can export our products.
On packaging and labeling, he said that “whatever agri products that come out from Nagaland are organic by default.” He asserted that we are lacking behind on how to promote our “organic by default” products.
He said that there are markets for organic products in India and abroad but somehow we’re lacking on how to promote our “organic by default products” as the labeling of organic products is missing.
“We are also lacking behind in packaging,” he added. He went on to say that the packaging is “not very appealing as well as not standardized as per ISO standards.
He said, “Local vendors are selling honey in McDowell’s rum bottles, which we cannot export to anybody.”
The DC also said that majority of the lands in Nagaland is non-cadastral land which banks cannot verify and hence cannot process loan applications. He said “the Nagaland government has come up with a noble initiative, the proposed draft land act.”
He said that there is lots of miscommunication, rumors and speculation about a few words in the draft land act.
The government does not have any intention to create revenue from the farming land, he said, adding that the farming land is out of the purview of any taxation in all the states of India.
He said that the sole intention behind this type of initiative is to legitimize the land owners’ rights over his/her land as banks cannot process any type of loan if the land documents have not been certified by the legitimate government authority.
Majority of the land pattas are issued by the village council or village authority, but no banks will accept such land documentation, he said.
The Deputy Commissioner stated that a workshop like this is a privilege for the people of Mokokchung and encouraged the participants to get maximum benefit out of the workshop, adding that the workshop is conducted at a very opportune time.
Earlier in the program, Bidhan Das, Deputy Director & Branch Head, Indian Institute of Packaging, Kolkata Center welcomed the gathering.
Short speeches were given by Atula Lemtor, General Manager, District Industric Centre, Dimapur who graced the program as special guest; Taliwati Longchar, IEDS Joint Director & HoO MSME-DFO, Govt. of India; and Tsukti Longkumer, President, Mokokchung Chamber of Commerce & Industry (MCCI) who were the guests of honor in the inaugural program.
The workshop was attended by about 50 participants on the first day.