Introduction
Energy plays a key role cutting across sectors and impacting various aspects of development. Different aspects of development social, economic, environment, access to water, health, education, gender, agricultural productivity and livelihoods are directly or indirectly impacted by the energy sector. There is also a shifting paradigm where communities and people are being empowered by allowing them to choose how they wish to develop their resources. The Government here plays the role of a facilitator in comparison to the traditional role of being a provider. The empowerment of people in developing nations is very critical. Such initiatives help communities build greater resilience to negative changes, helps them withstand the onslaught of global market forces and most important of all, allows them to ensure an assured standard of quality life.
Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD)
The previous phases of Nagaland Empowerment of People through Economic Development (NEPED), with a focus on livelihood and environment, created a need for energy as an essential requirement for adding value to farmer produce. Thus retaining the well-established acronym Nagaland Empowerment of People through Energy Development (NEPeD) came into being in 2007 comprising a multi-disciplinary team of 7 members.