Kohima: Nagaland officials and the NITI Aayog just wrapped a two-day strategy session in Kohima. They want to boost local innovation. The Department of School Education and the Atal Innovation Mission (AIM) hosted over 70 experts at De Oriental on September 16. It was a big push for the AIM 2.0 Frontier Region Programme.
Stakeholders from government, industry, and schools sat down to talk shop. Lend A Hand India helped run the event. State Mission Director L Jamithung Lotha told the crowd to get real about the state's needs. Asangla Imti, Commissioner and Secretary of the Department of School Education, pushed for a shift in focus. She said, "Emphasised the need to connect Nagaland's existing knowledge in agriculture, bamboo, crafts and community life with scientific thinking and modern tools."
Innovation is lagging. The state needs more than just buildings. Discussions covered infrastructure, teacher training, and better ties between classrooms and industry. Ideas hit the table fast. Participants suggested a technical consortium and a statewide hackathon. They want to bridge the gap between school tinkering and formal incubation.
Success stories already exist. Students from Loyola Higher Secondary School, Jakhama, built a multipurpose agricultural tool. Kids at PM SHRI Government High School, Kiruphema, created a smart-home system. The program is ambitious. It targets 2,500 new labs nationwide. Nagaland is in line for 93 additional Atal Tinkering Labs and two Atal Incubation Centres. These plans remain at the consultation stage.
The team did not just talk. On September 17, they toured labs at PM SHRI Government High School in Kohima and Hollotoli School in Dimapur. They checked equipment use and heard feedback from teachers. Principal Director Shashank Pratap Singh closed the session with a warning. He urged stakeholders to skip the fluff and fix local problems like agriculture and disaster management. The data gathered here will dictate the state's path forward.
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