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A file picture of road construction works in progress in Nagaland. The Central government has announced to bear the entire expenditure for special infrastructure development in the Northeast instead of the earlier 90 per cent cost of a project. (EM Images)[/caption]
New Delhi/Agartala, June 29 (IANS): The Central government will bear the entire expenditure for special infrastructure development in northeast India instead of the earlier 90 per cent cost of a project, an official said on Saturday.
“Under the ‘North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme’ (NESIDS), the entire 100 per cent cost would be borne by the Centre,” an official of the Tripura government told IANS.
Preferring anonymity, the official said that as per the earlier practice of 90:10 funding ratio of northeast projects under the NLCPR (Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources) flagship scheme, 90 per cent funds were given by the Centre and 10 per cent by the respective state government.
The official said that Union DoNER (Development of North Eastern Region) Minister Jitendra Singh met the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha members from the eight northeastern states in New Delhi on Thursday and told them about the ongoing schemes and future plans of the Central government for the development of the region.
Singh informed the MPs that Union Home Minister Amit Shah would preside over the plenary session of North Eastern Council (NEC) on August 3-4 in Guwahati.
“The issues related to enhancement of budgetary allocation for development of northeastern states are being discussed with the Finance Ministry,” the official quoted the DoNER Minister as saying at the New Delhi meeting.
DoNER Ministry Secretary Inder Jit Singh and NEC Secretary Ram Muivah and other senior officials of the Ministry were present at the meeting.
The DoNER Ministry Secretary told the meeting that chief nodal officers and nodal officers have been appointed for each of the northeastern states.
The official said that NITI Forum under the NITI Aayog for the northeast region was set up in February, 2018.
In its first meeting, held in Agartala in April 2018, constraints to sustainable economic growth were identified. In the second meeting held in Guwahati in December 2018, recommendations were made for the development of bamboo, tea, dairy and tourism industries in the northeast region, the official added.
He said that inter-ministerial committees have been constituted by the DoNER Ministry for sectors such as Roads, Civil Aviation and Tourism, Livelihood, Piggery, Medicinal and Aromatic Plants and Health and Nutrition.