DIMAPUR, June 14 � Nagaland Speaker Chotisuh Sazo while expressing that the Northeastern region is rich in biodiversity today stressed the need to tap it for the benefit of the region.
�The people of the region should preserve the rich biodiversity and tap it to our benefit, instead of being poor amidst the rich biodiversity,� Sazo said while inaugurating the three-day North East National Service Scheme (NSS) Youth Festival under the theme �Rejuvenating youth through festival� at IG Stadium in Kohima today.
He said �a festival of this kind for the students who are already trained and involved in contributing their services to the community is befitting�.
He expressed the hope that the festival would provide opportunities for shared learning in multifaceted ways to the youngsters and also help learning each other�s culture and traditions.
Hoping that the NSS volunteers would benefit from the three-day festival, Sazo said �you are the future of our society� the skills, the knowledge that you acquire today shall be your main motivational drive to help and improve the society tomorrow�.
He also urged them to take NSS seriously along with their studies whereby they would contribute for a better society.
The Nagaland Speaker further encouraged them to respect diverse cultures and build a cohesive region for nation building. �If we understand and respect diversity, we can become better agents of nation building�, said Sazo.
He also said the broad objectives of NSS encompasses understanding self and developing a keen sense of social and civic responsibility towards the community and most importantly providing services that would improve the lives and environment one lives in.
NSS Nagaland has good presence in as many as 48 institutions in the State, which according to our standard is a very good outreach, he said.
Youth Officer, Regional Centre, NER, Guwahati, SK Basumatary delivering the keynote address said that the ultimate objective of the youth festival is to develop personality and leadership qualities of the youth.
Aimed at developing the personality of the younger generations of the region, about 500 volunteers from the Northeastern States, including Sikkim will be participating in different events such as cultural exchange, intellectual competitions and also visiting some of the rural villages in Kohima district during the three day festival. The festival is sponsored by the Union Ministry of Youth Resources and Sports and hosted by Government of Nagaland.
Parliamentary Secretary Khriehu Liezietsu, Commissioner Secretary Menukhol John, NSS Youth Officers from the different States also attended the inaugural function.
