ITANAGAR, 15 Oct: Noting that the Nyishis are the state's largest tribal community, spread across seven districts, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said that "greater size brings greater responsibility," as other tribes look to the Nyishi tribe "as an elder brother."

He said this while attending the last day's programme of the All Nyishi Youth Association's (ANYA) golden jubilee celebration at IG Park here on Thursday.

Congratulating the ANYA on its half-century journey, the chief minister recalled that the association was formed in 1976 and has since steered the community's youths through many challenges. He praised the roadmap outlined by its president Jamru Ruja in his address, particularly its emphasis on language and cultural preservation, and assured of the state government's support. He also welcomed the association's concern over the growing number of organisations in the state - a subject he said concerns the youths of every tribe in Arunachal Pradesh.

Khandu paid tribute to the community's contributions to the state's political, social, cultural and economic life from the NEFA days through union territory status to statehood, and remembered the senior leaders and social workers who are no longer present.

The chief minister encouraged the ANYA to develop tourism in Nyishi areas, saying that the sector is now an engine of growth across the state. He pointed to Tawang, which has more hotels and homestays than Itanagar and Naharlagun combined, to the Ziro Festival of Music, which he started in 2012 as Tourism Minister despite initial local opposition, and to Anini in Dibang Valley, which won a 'best upcoming destination' award.

Tourism, he said, cannot grow without public participation, and urged communities, elected representatives, panchayats and district administrations to orient people towards the ethos of Atithi Devo Bhava.

He advised the ANYA to "select a tourism sector, prepare a roadmap with NGOs, and submit it to the government, which will develop it further."

Cautioning that smartphones, social media and artificial intelligence must serve people and not the other way round, Khandu urged parents, elders and society to guide young people towards analytical thinking. He said the Nyishi, though the state's largest group, are small in the national context, and that no outside agency can preserve their language, culture and customs - a task that falls to the community itself and its younger generations.

He asked the ANYA, as the community's mandated body for youth development, to hold brainstorming sessions with policymakers and elected representatives on youth empowerment.

The chief minister commended the All East Kameng Social Welfare & Cultural Organisation (AEKSWCO) for periodically reviewing the work of the district's legislators - a model of accountability which, he said, other communities should adopt. He also complimented the nurses of the organisation for their voluntary care of the elderly, and noted the release of a book on financial inclusion and disparities in Arunachal, which he said would inform the Planning and Finance Departments.

Referring to the Vibrant Villages Programme, under which Arunachal is the largest beneficiary, he said remote areas such as Kra Daadi and Upper Siang are seeing new roads and early signs of reverse migration.

With hydropower projects of 19,000 MW at various stages and large public works underway, the chief minister said the state still depends heavily on outside skilled labour. He cited 50 youths trained at a skill centre in Hyderabad who completed a project in Pasighat for Rs 10 lakh, against an outside quotation of Rs 18 lakh.

Of the 10 skill centres functioning in the state, three are in Nyishi areas, in Sagalee and Yupia, with another ITI in Koloriang nearing completion. He invited the ANYA and the All Nyishi Students' Union to visit them and recommend additional trades.

He also appealed to Nyishi entrepreneurs to invest in the capital region, noting that despite visits by union ministers, senior officials and foreign diplomats, Itanagar still lacks a five-star hotel.

Announcing a fresh avenue for aspiring defence and paramilitary officers, the chief minister said the state government will, from this year, sponsor coaching for young people seeking to join the armed forces and Central Armed Police Forces as officers. "After skilling with the Army, selected candidates will be placed with reputed coaching centres in Delhi or Pune, with the government bearing all fees," he said.

Discussions have been held with the Army's 3 Corps and 4 Corps, he said, adding that Arunachal's Nyishi youths are underrepresented in the officer cadre, relative to their population.

He also announced that a cell for the Arunachal Creative Economy will be set up in the chief minister's office to help young talent translate creativity into livelihood, and that the Institute for Transforming Arunachal (ITA), modelled on the NITI Aayog, will soon be established with a CEO and subject specialists to advise the government on policy.

He said that, under the Arunachal Academic Excellence initiative, the state bears the scholarship cost of students admitted to universities ranked within the top 150 of the QS World University Rankings, and that more students, including from the Nyishi community, are joining this year.

Stressing that government jobs are limited, Khandu urged youths to become job creators rather than job seekers. He said the Arunachal Pradesh Entrepreneurship Development Programme, started in 2021, has helped launch more than 150 startups, with annual intake now doubled to 100. He encouraged business owners to register under the MSME framework, whose revised turnover limits of Rs 10 crore, Rs 100 crore and Rs 500 crore for micro, small and medium enterprises open the door to institutional finance. (CM's PR Cell)