Neichute Doulo, a social entrepreneur from Nagaland, won this year’s social entrepreneur of the year award for encouraging youngsters from the conflict region to take up entrepreneurship over finding jobs. He was awarded by Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, a sister organisation of the World Economic Forum, in association with the Jubilant Bhartia Foundation in New Delhi on October 6 and was felicitated by union minister Nitin Gadkari.

Doulo, runs a social entreprise Entrepreneurs Associate in Kohima .

“The state of Nagaland has been a conflict zone. To develop the state which does not have industries, the government supported with subsidy, grants and employment opportunity which had a negative impact on youth in the long run. This has destroyed the struggling spirit of the youth. Today with the government job being saturated there is an increase in the number of unemployed youth," Doulo told Governance Now.

Doulo started his firm Entrepreneurs Associate in 1992 to look for new avenues in entrepreneurship and creative thinking to encourage youngsters become self-reliant. EA has provided thousands of Nagaland youths with motivation, start-up capital, mentoring and training.

On the challenges, Doulo said, “The major challenge we faced was the societal attitude which was negative towards entrepreneurship. But it is changing with time.”

“I believe that our work will also help the NE region to become an asset to the country and not to be seen as a liability and a region with problems but of opportunities and solutions. The world and the country recognising our efforts and vision will not only create a better image of Nagaland but will open new doors of opportunities and investments.”

Doulo will now join the Schwab Foundation’s global community of over 300 social innovators.

Other finalists in the running for the award were Shanti Raghavan and Dipesh Sutariya (EnAble India, Bengaluru) Vikas Shah (Water Health India Pvt Ltd, Hyderabad) Mrinalini Kher (Yuva Parivartan/Kherwadi Social Welfare Association, Mumbai) and Hilmi Quraishi and Subhi Quraishi ( ZMQ, New Delhi)

The Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurshiphas been identifying the world’s leading social entrepreneurs and involves  advancing the field of social innovation in collaboration with corporate, government and academic stakeholders.