The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) Shillong, has signed a historic Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation
Limited (NEHHDC), a CPSE under the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region
(DoNER), Government of India.

The MoU, with an initial tenure of three years, was signed on behalf of NIFT and NEHHDC
respectively by Dr. Arindam Das, Director NIFT Shillong and Brigadier Rajiv Kumar Singh (Retd.),
Managing Director NEHHDC. The MoU seeks to support and enhance the professional growth and
development of artisans and weavers from the North Eastern Region and the development and
promotion of the Northeast Handicraft & Handloom Sectors. The main areas of collaboration are :
 Sharing of knowledge and available resources in the professional interest of artisans and
weavers from the North Eastern Region, leading to Innovative Product Development & Design
Intervention in the clusters of North East as identified by NEHHDC.
 Development of Handloom and Handicraft sector of North East India and through Outreach
Programmes on Design, Technology and Business development for artisans and weavers.
 Craft Exposure Visits by students and faculty members of NIFT Shillong in different clusters of
North East India supported NEHHDC. NEHHDC will also facilitate Internships and Field Trips for
NIFT students from NIFT Shillong and other NIFT Campuses as per availability of resources.
 Sharing of information and data and facilities such Resource Centre / Knowledge Management
Centre available in each organization.
 Joint Research & Development, MSME development projects, design-development projects,
training programmes, workshops, seminars, conferences and fashion shows, etc.
 NIFT Shillong will assist NEHHDC in improvement of product packaging, product presentation,
labelling and branding.