H. Sethrongkyu Sangtam addressing the release programme of “Survey Report on Employment, Unemployment, Skill and Migration in Nagaland 2025” in Kohima on September 19. (Morung Photo)
Our Correspondent
Kohima | September 19
Advisor for Economics & Statistics, Information Technology & Communication and Evaluation, H. Sethrongkyu Sangtam today stressed that good governance cannot be delivered in the absence of accurate data.
“Unless we are statistically developed, our society cannot be developed,” he said, urging the Department of Economics & Statistics to execute its duty with dedication and uphold ethical data standards.
Releasing the Survey Report on Employment, Unemployment, Skill and Migration in Nagaland 2025 in Kohima, Sethrongkyu noted that without quality sub-state level data to guide district-specific policy making, balanced regional development cannot be achieved.
He said data gaps were being continually identified and addressed, particularly at the sub-state level, under the guidance of the department’s secretary Akunu S. Meyase. District-level disaggregated data, he added, was indispensable for identifying challenges and leveraging district-specific prospects.
Highlighting initiatives of the department, the Advisor said the Nagaland Sample Survey Unit was set up in 2024 under the leadership of Director Neidilhou Keditsu to cater to the state’s socio-economic data needs. He termed it “a timely and innovative step” that would strengthen the state’s statistical system and contribute to evidence-based policymaking.
The Advisor pointed out that the department had already released the District Domestic Product (2023) and District Consumer Price Index (2025) to enhance the sub-state level database. “These reports are now finding headway into the policy formulation of the state,” he said.
Calling for collective commitment to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, Sethrongkyu said Nagaland’s progress was contingent on the development of all districts.
Unemployment concern
The Advisor noted that unemployment is a global, national and state concern with socio-political implications. As per the Nagaland Statistical Handbook 2024, the number of applicants on the live register of employment exchange stood at 71,034 as on March 31, 2025.
He said the issue was also deliberated during the recently concluded 7th session of the 14th Nagaland Legislative Assembly, where the Chief Minister underscored the need for a systematic study of unemployment in the state.
“Nagaland has immense potential to realize Viksit status in the form of human resource,” he said, urging that youth must be enabled through skilling and capacity development to contribute to state and nation building. Harnessing the demographic dividend, he stressed, was key to economic development and social progress.
Labour and migration
On migration, Sethrongkyu said it was largely driven by employment, unemployment and capacity development factors. Hence, migration aspects needed to be considered while analyzing labour issues.
Describing the report as both comprehensive and much-needed, he said it would serve as a critical basis for framing labour policy and addressing the unique challenges of each district through district-wise socio-economic data.
He expressed optimism that policymakers, researchers, administrators and other stakeholders would find the report useful, and that it would enhance the quality of public discourse on employment issues by providing pertinent data and information.
Public discussions and official discourses, he added, must be based on evidence to shape policies in the right direction towards a just and harmonious society.
The Advisor also highlighted that the department has been publishing several key reports such as the Nagaland Statistical Handbook, Price Indices, National Sample Survey, Village Level Development Indicators, Gross State Domestic Product, District Domestic Product, Per Capita Income, Disaster Statistics, Gender Statistics, Civil Registration System, Nagaland Economic Survey, and Indices of Industrial Production, which have been widely used by scholars, researchers and NGOs.
Earlier, Secretary Akunu S. Meyase and Director Neidilhou Keditsu also spoke at the programme. It was chaired by Additional Director Neisatuo Puro, while Additional Director Charles N. Kikon proposed the vote of thanks.
