Nagaland: Sethrichem Sangtam Wins Rohini Nayyar Prize

KOHIMA:Sethrichem Sangtam, a forty-year-old working towards the development of farmers in the eastern part of Nagaland has received the first Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development. The award consists of a citation, a trophy and a cash prize of Rs 10 Lakh and he received the award on Tuesday.

Sethrichem Sangtam runs an NGO by the name of 'Better Life Foundation'. It has worked with nearly 1200 rural farmers belonging to the Tuensang and Kiphire regions of the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. It aims at the promotion of sustainable farming practices to replace traditional ones.It also helps the farmers to grow more cash-oriented crops like kiwi and apples. The organisation also helps the farmers to advertise and sell their products alongside supporting three cooperative societies towards this direction.

The winner dropped out of the National Law School of India, Bangalore and moved to New York as a member of the Global Youth Advisory Panel to the UN Population Fund. After that, he returned to Nagaland to create sustainable farming solutions. He created a farmer innovation centre o help the local farmers create a revolution in farming and to share the best practices and innovative ideas regarding the same. He also mentioned that the organisation aimed to remove the rampant hunting practices by introducing the youth of the state to the local culture through dance and music.

The Rohini Nayyar Prize for Outstanding Contribution to Rural Development is presented in the memory of Rohini Nayyar by the Nayyar Foundation for Social and Economic Purpose. She was a renowned economist who worked with the Planning Commission of India as an IAS officer and passed away last year.

The jury for the award comprised of Ashok Khosla, founder of Development Alternatives, Rajesh Tandon, founder of Participatory Research in Asia and Renana Jhabvala, national coordinator of SEWA.

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