Kohima, Sep 30 (IANS): In a first among the eight northeastern states, the Nagaland government has launched a programme to give skill development training on livelihood to migrant workers who have been forced to return to the state from other states due to the outbreak of Covid-19, officials said on Wednesday.

An official of Nagaland Industries and Commerce Department said that the state government, with support from the Shillong-based North Eastern Council (NEC), would initially provide skill development training to around 100 returnees under the "Livelihood Generation Programme for Returned Migrant Workers due to Covid-19 Pandemic".

After the training, the government would offer "seed money" of Rs 2 lakh each so that they can launch a startup.

The state government has already sanctioned Rs 2.40 crore for the programme funded by the NEC, a regional planning body.

"After the withdrawal of travel restrictions by the Union Home Ministry in May, around 16,000 native migrant workers from different parts of the country returned to their homes in Nagaland," an official said.

A notification of the new programme said that the main objective of this special assistance from NEC for indigenous returned migrant workers of Nagaland is to target the issue of unemployment and displacement caused by the pandemic, thereby creating opportunities for the interested migrant returnees to set up their enterprise for livelihood generation.

"The returnees should have reached Nagaland via special train, airway or roadway between May 22 and August 6 this year. They should also have a release certificate from the assigned quarantine centres," the notification said and asked the interested migrant workers to register themselves on or before October 7.

The programme would be monitored by the Industries and Commerce Department.