New Delhi : Fifty five non-exempted Central Ministries/Departments are mandated to spend at least 10% of their Gross Budgetary Support (GBS) for Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes in the North Eastern Region (NER) to accelerate the pace of development. The details of Budget Estimates, Revised Estimates and Actual Expenditure under 10% GBS since financial year 2014-15 is given in Table 1 below:
| Table 1: Budget Estimates (BE), Revised Estimates (RE) and Actual Expenditure under 10% GBS
(Rs. in crore) |
|||
| Year | Budget Estimate | Revised Estimate | Actual Expenditure |
| 2014-15 | 36,107.56 | 27,359.17 | 24,819.18 |
| 2015-16 | 29,087.93 | 29,669.22 | 28,673.73 |
| 2016-17 | 29,124.79 | 32,180.08 | 29,367.90 |
| 2017-18 | 43,244.64 | 40,971.69 | 39,753.44 |
| 2018-19 | 47,994.88 | 47,087.95 | 46,054.80 |
| 2019-20 | 59,369.90 | 53,374.19 | 48,533.80 |
| 2020-21 | 60,112.11 | 51,270.90 | 48,563.80 |
| 2021-22 | 68,020.24 | 68,440.26 | 70,874.32 |
| Total | 3,73,062.05 | 3,50,353.46 | 3,36,640.97 |
| Source: Statement 11 of Union Budget, various years
Note: Actual Expenditure figures are provisional and subject to vetting of Ministry of Finance. |
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- Several infrastructure development projects including connectivity projects have been taken up by the concerned Ministries and Departments of the Central Government in the North Eastern Region (NER). These relate to improving air connectivity, rail connectivity, road connectivity, waterway connectivity, power connectivity and telecom connectivity in the NER. These inter-alia include:
- Air connectivity: Total 28 projects have been completed from 2016-17 to 2021-22 with the approved cost of Rs. 975.58 crore and completion cost of Rs. 979.07 crore. There are 15 ongoing projects with sanctioned amount of Rs. 2,212.30 crore.
- Rail connectivity: As on 01.04.2022, Ministry of Railways has sanctioned 19 projects costing Rs.77,930 crore for 1,909 km length falling fully/ partly in North Eastern Region including those sanctioned since 2014, which are at different stages of planning/approval/execution, out of which 409 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.30,312 crore incurred upto March, 2022. These include (i) 14 New Line Projects covering a length of 1,181 km at a cost of Rs.61,520 crore, out of which 361 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.27,458 crore incurred up to March, 2022; and (ii) 5 Doubling/Multi tracking Projects covering a length of 728 km at a cost of Rs.16,410 crore, out of which 48 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.2,854 crore incurred upto March,2022.
- Road Connectivity: A total of 4016.48 km costing Rs.58,385 crore, are ongoing in NER. These projects were undertaken during the last 5 years. The completed projectsin NER cover a length of 3099.50 km at a cost of Rs.15,570.44 crore. The ongoing projects are likely to be completed by May 2024. The major ongoing Capital Road Connectivity projects in NER include the 4 Laning of Dimapur- Kohima Road (62.9 km)in Nagaland; 4 laning of Nagaon bypass to Holongi (167 km) in Arunachal Pradesh; Alternate two-lane Highway from Bagrakote to Pakyong (NH-717A) (152 km) in Sikkim;2 laning of Aizawl – Tuipang NH-54 (351 km) in Mizoram; and 4 laning of Imphal –Moreh section of NH-39(20 km) and 2-laning of 75.4 km in Manipur.
- Waterway connectivity: River Brahmaputra from Dhubri (Bangladesh Border) to Sadiya (891km) was declared as National Waterway-2(NW-2) in 1988. The waterway is being developed with fairway of required depth and width, day and night navigation aids and terminals. The facilities created and planned would cost Rs.461 crore during 5 years (2020-2025). River Barak was declared as National Waterway-16 (NW -16) in the year 2016. It connects Silchar, Karimganj and Badarpur in Cachar valley of Assam with Haldia and Kolkata ports through Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) Route. The facilities created and planned would cost Rs.145 crore during 5 years (2020-2025).
v. Power connectivity : Ministry of Power has also undertaken power generation (hydro/thermal) projects since 2014 in the North Eastern States. Further, the transmission and distribution network has also been strengthened in these North Eastern States. 03 Hydro Electric Projects (above 25 MW) totaling to 740 MW have been undertaken in the North Eastern States. A Gas based Power Project in the State of Assam viz. Lakhwa Replacement Power Project of 69.755 MW capacity (7 x 9.965MW) by M/s Assam Power Generation Corporation Ltd. was commissioned on 14.02.2018. Further, Government of India has launched various schemes to enable States including North Eastern States to strengthen their power distribution systems by providing funding for creation/augmentation of sub-transmission & distribution infrastructure along with metering and IT enablement of distribution infrastructures etc. For strengthening of transmission network in the North-Eastern Region, Inter-State Transmission projects have been undertaken, which includes new transmission lines, extension/upgradation of existing substations, augmentation of transformation capacity, reconductoring of transmission lines etc. Further, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd.(PGCIL) is executing two major Intra State power transmission and distribution schemes viz. (i) North Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) for Six States (Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland) for strengthening of the Intra-State Transmission and Distribution Systems (33kV and above) sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.6,700 crore; and (ii)Comprehensive Scheme for Strengthening of Transmission and Distribution System in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs.9,129.32 crore.
- Telecom connectivity: Department of Telecommunications has also undertaken several projects in the North Eastern States for strengthening telecom connectivity in the region, which, interalia, include (i) Mobile Services in uncovered villages in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh (National Highways only) and seamless coverage along National Highway; (ii) Mobile connectivity in Meghalaya and along National Highways on 4G Technology; (iii) Mobile connectivity in Arunachal Pradesh and 2 Districts of Assam; (iv) Bharat Net and Wi-Fi Connectivity for Village Panchayats in North Eastern Region; and (v) Hiring of 10 Gbps International Bandwidth for Internet Connectivity to Agartala from BSCCL, Bangladesh via Cox Bazar. In the North Eastern States, 1,358 towers covering 1,246 villages have been installed and providing services.
- Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT)-To promote industrialization in NE States and to boost employment and economic development the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade(DPIIT) had launched a Scheme namely North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS), 2017 which came into force w.e.f. 01.04.2017. Some other recent initiatives have been taken by the Government inter alia includes North East Venture Fund, Stand Up India Scheme, Start Up India, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, enhancement of Import Duty to 25% on Bamboo Sticks for Agarbattis, to boost industrialization in the region.
- In addition, Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) is implementing various schemes/packages viz. North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS), Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) Scheme, Special Packages of Assam [Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC), Dima Hasao Autonomous Territorial Council (DHATC) and Karbi Anglong Autonomous Territorial Council (KAATC)], Hill Area Development Programme (HADP), Social and Infrastructure Development Fund (SIDF), Schemes of NEC (North Eastern Council) and North East Road Sector Development Scheme (NERSDS), for the development of North Eastern Region. Under these developmental schemes/packages, 1,350 projects worth Rs.15,867.01 crore, including connectivity projects, have been sanctioned during the financial years 2014-15 to 2021-22. The year-wise details of the projects sanctioned are as under:
| (Rs. in crore) | |||
| S.No. | Financial Year | Projects sanctioned under schemes of MDoNER and NEC | |
| No. | Cost | ||
| 1 | 2014-15 | 71 | 1,500.40 |
| 2 | 2015-16 | 126 | 1,564.53 |
| 3 | 2016-17 | 152 | 1,925.45 |
| 4 | 2017-18 | 274 | 3,114.46 |
| 5 | 2018-19 | 70 | 1,340.33 |
| 6 | 2019-20 | 174 | 1,983.91 |
| 7 | 2020-21 | 206 | 1,685.31 |
| 8 | 2021-22 | 277 | 2,752.62 |
| Total | 1,350 | 15,867.01 | |
The State wise status of the projects sanctioned under the Schemes of MDoNER and NEC during the financial years 2014-15 to 2021-22 is as under:
| (Rs.in crore) | |||||||
| S.No. | State | Projects sanctioned | Projects
completed |
Projects
ongoing |
|||
| No. | Cost | No. | Cost | No. | Cost | ||
|
1 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
174 |
1,895.56 |
49 |
318.04 |
125 |
1,577.52 |
| 2 | Assam | 197 | 2,830.41 | 29 | 287.63 | 168 | 2,542.78 |
| 3 | Manipur | 235 | 2,294.07 | 63 | 795.34 | 172 | 1,498.73 |
| 4 | Meghalaya | 111 | 1,512.77 | 24 | 130.84 | 87 | 1,381.93 |
| 5 | Mizoram | 152 | 1,314.22 | 53 | 372.82 | 99 | 941.40 |
| 6 | Nagaland | 187 | 1,965.69 | 45 | 241.4 | 142 | 1,724.29 |
| 7 | Sikkim | 67 | 808.51 | 17 | 182.82 | 50 | 625.69 |
| 8 | Tripura | 76 | 1,010.31 | 9 | 142.04 | 67 | 868.27 |
| 9 | Other Agency* | 151 | 2,235.47 | 56 | 742.06 | 95 | 1,493.41 |
| Total | 1,350 | 15,867.01 | 345 | 3,212.99 | 1005 | 12654.02 | |
*Projects sanctioned to different agencies for various sectors under Schemes of NEC for all the North Eastern States.
This information was given by Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
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