KOHIMA, DEC 19 (DIPR): If the efforts of Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio is anything to go by, Nagaland state, for the first time since its inception, will be participating in the national games to be held next year. He said this at the 8th Nagaland State-level youth festival, 2006, inaugural organised by the Department of Youth Resources & Sports at State Academy Hall, Kohima today.
Speaking at the occasion, Rio said that in the past three years the State Government had taken promotion of youth, with the slogan ‘youth empowerment’ with all sincerity. Although two years of youth empowerment have officially culminated, promotion of youth will continue, he added. As a top-up, he said that Nagaland will, for the first time, participate in the forthcoming national games which will be held at Guwahati.
He further expressed hope that the state’s premier football tournament which has been rechristened in memory of late Dr. T Ao and offering a handsome prize money, would enhance sportspersons and encourage them to strive for higher goals.
Rio also lauded the recent addition of Hornbill National Rock Contest ‘which is not only a success story’ but has also made Nagaland into a ‘centre and hub’ for music. With the proposed Music Academy, Naga youth will directly benefit and the untapped pool of talents in the sector of music and performing arts will be utilized, he asserted.
On the employment front, he said Chief Minister Corpus Fund (CMCF) has yielded rich dividends for the younger generation. He, however, cautioned that the ‘era of dole-outs or free hand outs’ is over and asked the youth to realize this ‘truth’.
The aim of the Government is to create new opportunities through capacity-building exercises to carve out successful careers and gainful employment for which the youth should judiciously use the assistance to help themselves and further entrepreneurship, Rio observed.
Sharing his thoughts on the HIV/AIDS menace, the Chief Minister said the battle against the disease should be intensified from the grass-root level. The rapid spread of HIV/AIDS in Nagaland calls for sounding alarm; unless the battle is fought on a united front, victory will be hard to achieve, he reminded.
Rio also called on the participants to give their best and reminded the would-be winners to be ‘good ambassadors’ of the state as they would be representing the state in the forthcoming National Youth Festival at Maharashtra in January 2007.
The inaugural of the two-day youth festival was enlivened by a guitar recital contest with participation from seven districts and an elocution competition from 10 districts. The function was chaired by KT Sukhalu, IAS Secretary, Youth Resources & Sports.
