Model village to showcase shg’s values of independent living

Noel Manuel 
Mokokchung | November 18

Trade fairs are quite unheard of in the interior parts of Nagaland. But come December, and this may be a thing of the past. The first Ungma Village Trade Fair 2007, jointly organized by the State Bank of India Mokokchung Branch and the Ungma Village Development Board is expected to boost trade and commerce in agriculture, handloom and handicraft, piggery, eri farming, tea, conventional furniture and poultry products.  The purpose of the fair is to assist the 120 Self Help Groups (SHG’s) financed by the State Bank of India, Mokokchung to market their products and build up trade relationships with prospective consumers from within and outside the state, said SBI Mokokchung branch manager Ganesan Sekar. 

The village, more popularly known for its weavers, also has the distinction of providing employment to all its women folk through Self Help Groups, which was jointly initiated by the SBI and the Ungma VDB a few years ago.

The financing of 120 SHG’s and trade fair has come as a form of an incentive to the village from the State Bank of India on account of the active and responsible involvement of the VDB members in recovering of previous loans. ‘We are extremely pleased with the recovery of loans and therefore felt the need to assist the SHG’s with loans, regular workshops and a trade fair to market their products,’ said MRT leader Bordoloi. 

Considered a ‘model village’ by the State Bank of India, the five kilometer distance to the village from the district headquarters Mokokchung has a lot more to offer than just the most talked about roads. Unemployment may be a cause for concern in the state, but the effects are in no way felt in this village. 

With the VDB as a responsible loan recovery agent, the State Bank of India committed to its social obligations and the villagers themselves having decided to sustain their livelihood on independent terms, the Ungma village annual trade fair is surely poised to be an entertaining, trading and learning experience for most villages in the state.