DIMAPUR, JUN 24 (NPN): Investment & Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) secured commitments worth over Rs.30 crore for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives in Nagaland at the Nagaland Connect 2026 CSR Conclave held at Jacaranda Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.
According to an IDAN press release, 15 Letters of Interest and commitments were handed over to IDAN in the presence of Chief Minister Dr. Neiphiu Rio and deputy chief ministers T.R. Zeliang and Y. Patton.
The conclave, themed “Forging Partnerships, Creating Impact”, was organised by IDAN in collaboration with CSRBOX and brought together more than 40 companies. The event was aimed at formalising CSR partnerships, with several Memoranda of Understanding, Letters of Intent and Statements of Commitment signed in the presence of the chief minister. Members of the Council of Ministers and advisers to the state government also attended the programme.
Delivering the keynote address, Rio called on India’s corporate sector to view Nagaland as “a destination for opportunity” rather than assistance. Describing CSR as “an instrument of equity” rather than a compliance obligation, he urged corporates to look beyond conventional investment hubs.
“Nagaland today is not merely a destination for assistance, it is a destination for opportunity,” Rio said, citing the state’s young population, its strategic location under India’s Act East Policy and initiatives such as Nagaki Incubation City as indicators of a state positioning itself as a frontier of growth and enterprise.
He identified education, livelihoods, healthcare, sports, environmental sustainability, women’s empowerment and youth development as priority sectors and said the state had established a “single-window platform” through IDAN to facilitate, support and monitor CSR partnerships. Inviting corporate partners to engage with the state, Rio said, “Today, I invite you not merely to invest in projects, but to invest in people and possibilities.”
Addressing the conclave, IDAN chairman and adviser to the chief minister Abu Metha described Nagaland as a frontier state playing an important role in India’s growth story.
He said that despite challenges, Nagaland had made significant contributions to nation-building and called on the corporate sector to focus CSR initiatives in far-flung regions like Nagaland, where development gaps remained.
Highlighting the disparity in CSR funding between Nagaland and more developed states, Metha said the state offered opportunities for innovative partnerships capable of transforming communities while contributing to inclusive national development.
He also urged the corporate sector to actively participate in the vision of Viksit Bharat, stating that India’s aspiration to become a developed nation could not be achieved without investing in and empowering frontier regions.
The programme featured a context-setting session by CSRBOX on emerging trends and opportunities in CSR partnerships, followed by the formal exchange of partnership commitments and collaborative agreements.
Additional Secretary to the Government of Nagaland, Vineet Kumar, delivered the concluding remarks.
According to the release, the roundtable focused on six priority sectors aligned with the state’s development agenda—health, nutrition, WASH and sanitation; education, livelihoods and skilling; rural development; sports and youth development; environment, biodiversity and climate resilience; and gender equality, inclusion and digital access.
IDAN said it would serve as the single point of contact for participating companies, offering project identification, regulatory facilitation, partnership structuring, monitoring and reporting support. The roundtable also sought to strengthen dialogue between corporates and the state government, explore CSR co-investment opportunities and develop a pipeline of investment-ready projects curated by IDAN.
