Morung Express News
Dimpaur | August 16
Nagaland remains among the lowest-participating States in the Northeast under the Centre’s FutureSkills PRIME programme, with only 250 candidates enrolled/trained and 118 completing/certified under the digital skilling initiative, according to data placed in the Lok Sabha.
Among the eight North Eastern States, only Mizoram (91) and Arunachal Pradesh (150) recorded fewer enrolled/trained candidates than Nagaland. Nagaland’s 118 certified candidates were also higher only than Mizoram’s 40 and Arunachal Pradesh’s 52.
The figures were provided by the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on August 12 in response to a Lok Sabha question on the implementation of FutureSkills PRIME, a joint initiative with NASSCOM for skilling, reskilling and upskilling in emerging technologies.
In comparison, Assam recorded 6,074 enrolled/trained and 2,874 certified candidates, while Tripura had 1,663 enrolled/trained and 1,146 certified. Meghalaya recorded 556 and 295 respectively, while Manipur had 653 enrolled/trained and 232 certified. Sikkim recorded 753 enrolled/trained and 371 certified.
Taken together, the eight North Eastern States recorded 10,190 enrolled/trained candidates and 5,128 certified candidates.
Nagaland’s 250 enrolled/trained candidates account for only about 2.5% of this combined figure.
At the broader regional level, however, the Centre stated that more than 33,000 candidates in the North Eastern and Himalayan region have been enrolled/trained through the FutureSkills PRIME portal, with more than 16,000 completing/certifying their courses.
The statement did not provide a State-wise breakup of this broader regional figure beyond the table.
As per the Ministry, the “FutureSkills PRIME” (FSP) was jointly intieatedf with NASSCOM (National Association of Software and Services Companies.) for skilling/ re-skilling/ up-skilling of candidates in new/emerging technologies, aimed at making India a cutting-edge digital talent nation.
The programme currently offers more than 500 industry-aligned courses in emerging areas including Artificial Intelligence, Big Data Analytics, Internet of Things, Cyber Security, Blockchain and AR/VR. Nationally, more than 34 lakh candidates have registered, with 23 lakh-plus enrolled/trained and 13 lakh-plus completing/certified. Women constitute 41% of participants, while over 86% are from Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities.
The FSP is a Central Sector Scheme, with funding allocated centrally rather than State-wise and its allocation has increased from Rs 26.59 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 137.17 crore in 2026-27.
Tourism footfall among lowest in NE
Meanwhile, Nagaland recorded 1,27,428 domestic tourist visits and 5,425 foreign tourist visits in 2025, taking its total reported tourist footfall to 1,32,853, according to a reply by Union Tourism Minister in the Lok Sabha on August 10.
The figure was the second-lowest total tourist footfall in the NE, after Manipur at 28,173.
In foreign tourist visits, Nagaland’s 5,425 was higher than Arunachal Pradesh’s 4,582, placing Nagaland third-lowest among the eight States.
For January-June 2026, Nagaland recorded 27,305 domestic and 1,131 foreign tourist visits, or 28,436 in total. This was the second-lowest total and domestic footfall, after Manipur. In foreign visits, however, Nagaland was the lowest.
The Minister’s reply noted that the Centre promotes NE tourism through the Incredible India Digital Platform, promotional activities, fairs and festivals, and infrastructure schemes including Swadesh Darshan 2.0, PRASHAD, SASCI and Challenge Based Destination Development.
Nagaland has also received Central Financial Assistance for festivals including the Hornbill, Sekrenyi, Rengma’s Ngadah, Thuwu-Ni, Sukhrunye, Ahuna and Runa. The annexure lists Rs 25 lakh for the 2023-24 Cuisine and Music Festival at Naga Heritage Village, Kisama, and Rs 30 lakh for the 2024-25 Autumn Fest.
EV uptake remains low
Electric mobility data provide another indication of low uptake in Nagaland. Under FAME-II, just six EVs were sold in 2022-23 and 2023-24, the lowest among the eight NE States, according to Lok Sabha data provided on July 28.
A separate Rajya Sabha reply on August 7, giving the FAME-II status as of March 31, 2026, lists eight EVs supported in Nagaland, against 16,71,606 nationally.
Under PM E-DRIVE, Nagaland had 13 EVs supported as of July 22, 2026, again the lowest among the NE States, against 26,54,117 nationally, it added.
Nagaland had 23 EV public charging stations under FAME-II. Another 198 chargers were sanctioned for the NE through oil marketing companies.
Job-card deletions rise
MGNREGS data show 2,86,636 Nagaland households demanded work in 2025-26, while 1,38,208 did so in 2026-27 as of June 2026.
Meanwhile, 73,029 Nagaland job cards were deleted between January 2021 and July 22, 2026. Of these, 33,916 were deleted in 2025 and 23,500 in 2026 up to July 22.
The Rural Development Ministry’s reply in the Lok Sabha on July 28 noted that said States and UTs are responsible for issuing, verifying, updating and deleting job cards, with deletions subject to an SOP issued in January 2025.
