Guwahati: Leaders of the Northeast Leader Connect (NELC) came together on December 31 to announce the NELC Ecopreneur & Environmental Sustainability program, which follows in the footsteps of the Tawang Declaration and builds on a pilot project launched last year in Nagaland.
As part of the fellowship, 56 young forest graduates will be picked across all northeast states (except Manipur) who, in turn, will help implement the Pani Pahar curriculum across schools, train locals in project management, and engage in research to boost policy discourse with the aim of strengthening the fight against climate change.
The Department of Geography, University of Cambridge, and Hearth Advisors have jointly developed a water curriculum named ‘Pani, Pahar – The Water Curriculum’. This curriculum is available FREE to schools and others who may be interested in the materials.
Speaking about the event, Atoho Jakhalu, who helped implement the Pilot project in Nagaland, said the fellowship aims to look at climate change and conservation from an economic angle, adding that the pilot project in Nagaland is now in its second stage. This project, Jakhalu added, was supported by Cambridge University and the Mobius Foundation.
Northeast India has one fourth of the forest cover and is part of the crucial Indo-Burma biodiversity region. Despite improvement in overall forest cover in India, northeast India has witnessed a significant decline in forest cover since 2021, despite an overall nationwide gain, as per the India State of Forest Report 2023 (ISFR 2023). Mizoram and Sikkim were the only exceptions in the region, showing an increase in forest cover.
Applications for this fellowship are expected to open in January, the leaders suggested.
In 2021, core members of North East Leaders Connect met in Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh and adopted the ‘Tawang Declaration’ in which they stated their resolve to continue to bring together several young minds and leaders.
Further, as per the declaration, the young people will “be provided a platform to network, be mentored and collaborate towards building a vibrant, dynamic and cohesive North East.”
The declaration reads: “North East Leaders Connect believes that North East India is endowed with tremendous natural beauty and geo-strategic importance. The region has inherent potential particularly in the fields of tourism, organic agriculture, horticulture, food processing, handicrafts, music, sports and IT enabled services. It is important to harness the region’s abundant natural resources in a sustainable and scientific manner, while keeping the local ecology in mind. Achieving this goal will ensure a stronger, resilient and progressive India.”
Northeast Leader Connect NELC, earlier known as Young Leaders Connect, is a landmark initiative launched in 2011 in Kohima that provides a common platform for young leaders and achievers from the Northeast. NorthEast Leaders Connect is an annual conclave where young change-makers and leaders from diverse fields like business, politics, academia, sports, music, and culture come together, put their heads and hearts together, and plan where they would like to see India vis-à-vis the North East in the future, plan a roadmap, and strategize on interventions at the grassroots and policy level.
About Northeast Leaders Connect NELC
The North East Leaders Connect (NELC) is a dynamic community and network of like-minded leaders and achievers from North East India. Members include policymakers, business innovators, journalists, social entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare experts, sports personalities, development practitioners, and more.
With a vision to act as a catalyst for the promotion of a vibrant and robust economy, good governance, sustaining the ecology, and preserving our cultural identity, North-East Leaders Connect brings together various young minds and leaders to network, be mentored and collaborate towards building a vibrant, dynamic and cohesive North East.
NELC seeks to develop greater awareness and understanding essentially through, ‘Connect’ ‘Exchange” and ‘Strengthening’ of issues that affect the political, social, and economic development of our country vis-à-vis the North-East. Formerly known as Leaders Connect, the organization was initiated in 2011.
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