Lok Sabha Question No. 2320 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-01
Subject: Development Schemes for NER including Nagaland
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Gajendra Singh Patel, Nihal Chand Chauhan

## Government of India Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. † 2320

To be answered on

Monday, August 1, 2022/Sravana 10, 1944(Saka)

## QUESTION

## Development Schemes for NER including Nagaland

†2320. SHRI GAJENDRA SINGH PATEL:

SHRI NIHAL CHAND:

Will  the  Minister  of  DEVELOPMENT  OF  NORTH  EASTERN  REGION  be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of schemes being implemented by the Government to accelerate the pace of development in North Eastern Region (NER) during the last four years;
- (b) the  details  of  target  set  and  achievements  made  there  under,  Scheme-wise and the outcome of the said Schemes;
- (c) whether the Government has any plan to accelerate the development of other parts of the country on the lines of NER and if so, the details thereof;
- (d) the efforts made/being made by the Government to upgrade the standard of living of tribal communities in NER and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the various schemes for the development of Nagaland and other States of NER?

## ANSWER

## The Minister of the  Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region [Shri G. Kishan Reddy]

- (a), (b) and (e) 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 2018-19 is given in Table 1 below:
2. 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:
- i. 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.
- ii. 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 upto 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.

| Table 1: Budget Estimates (BE), Revised Estimates (RE) and Actual Expenditure under 10%GBS (Rs. in crore)                                            | Table 1: Budget Estimates (BE), Revised Estimates (RE) and Actual Expenditure under 10%GBS (Rs. in crore)                                            | Table 1: Budget Estimates (BE), Revised Estimates (RE) and Actual Expenditure under 10%GBS (Rs. in crore)                                            | Table 1: Budget Estimates (BE), Revised Estimates (RE) and Actual Expenditure under 10%GBS (Rs. in crore)                                            |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Year                                                                                                                                                 | Budget Estimate                                                                                                                                      | Revised Estimate                                                                                                                                     | Actual Expenditure                                                                                                                                   |
| 2018-19                                                                                                                                              | 47,994.88                                                                                                                                            | 47,087.95                                                                                                                                            | 46,054.80                                                                                                                                            |
|                                                                                                                                                      | 59,369.90                                                                                                                                            | 53,374.19                                                                                                                                            | 2019-20 48,533.80                                                                                                                                    |
|                                                                                                                                                      | 60,112.11                                                                                                                                            | 51,270.90                                                                                                                                            | 2020-21 48,563.80                                                                                                                                    |
| 2021-22                                                                                                                                              | 68,020.24                                                                                                                                            | 68,440.26                                                                                                                                            | 70,874.32*                                                                                                                                           |
| Total                                                                                                                                                | 235,497.13                                                                                                                                           | 220,173.3                                                                                                                                            | 455,670.43                                                                                                                                           |
| Source: Statement 11 of Union Budget, various years Note: *Actual Expenditure figures are provisional and subject to vetting of Ministry of Finance. | Source: Statement 11 of Union Budget, various years Note: *Actual Expenditure figures are provisional and subject to vetting of Ministry of Finance. | Source: Statement 11 of Union Budget, various years Note: *Actual Expenditure figures are provisional and subject to vetting of Ministry of Finance. | Source: Statement 11 of Union Budget, various years Note: *Actual Expenditure figures are provisional and subject to vetting of Ministry of Finance. |

iii. 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  projects  in  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.

iv. 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. 461crore 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  Easter  /augmentation  of  sub-transmission  &  distribution infrastructure along with metering and IT enablement of distribution infrastructures  etc.  For  strengthening  of  transmission  network  in  the  NorthEastern  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 (33 kV 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.

vi. 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.

3. 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 areas under:

| (Rs. in crore)   | (Rs. in crore)   | (Rs. in crore)                                      | (Rs. in crore)                                      |
|------------------|------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------|
| S.No.            | Financial Year   | Projects sanctioned under schemes of MDoNER and NEC | 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-wises 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)   | (Rs. in crore)    | (Rs. in crore)      | (Rs. in crore)      | (Rs. in crore)     | (Rs. in crore)     | (Rs. in crore)   | (Rs. in crore)   |
|------------------|-------------------|---------------------|---------------------|--------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|
| S. N o.          | State             | Projects sanctioned | Projects sanctioned | Projects completed | Projects completed | Projects ongoing | 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         |

- (c) No such information is maintained by the Ministry.
- (d) A large proportion of population in the North Eastern States belongs to tribal communities.  MDoNER  under  its  schemes  has  sanctioned  1350  projects  worth Rs.15,  867.01  Crore  for  development  of  North  Eastern  States.  Further,  MDoNER,

through  North  Eastern  Council  and  its  Central  Public  Sector  Enterprises  (CPSEs) make  continuous  efforts  toward  promotion  of  art  and  culture  including  food  and handicrafts of North Eastern Region (NER). North Eastern Handicrafts and Handlooms Development Corporation Limited (NEHHDC), a CPSU under MDoNER, procures  handicrafts  and  handlooms  from  artisans  and  weavers  from  all  the  eight North Eastern States and retails the same through its chain of "Purbashree" Emporia located at Shillong,  Guwahati, Kolkata, New Delhi, Kevadia (Near Statue of Unity, Gujarat)  and  its  Sales  Promotion  Office  at  Chennai.  North  Eastern  Regional Agricultural  Marketing  Corporation  Ltd.  (NERAMAC),  a  PSU  under  Ministry  of Development  of  North  Eastern  Region  promotes  art  and  culture  of  North  Eastern Region through participation in various events and exhibitions. NERAMAC has also organized  several  events  including  Bihu  Festival  at  Dilli  Haat,  INA,  New  Delhi  to make  people  aware  about  the  culture  of  NER.  North  East  Cane  and  Bamboo Development Council (NECBDC), a society under NEC, has conducted a workshop and  exhibition  in  Jammu  to  show  case  and  promote  bamboo  technology  and bamboo handicrafts expertise of NER.

Ministry  of  Tribal  Affairs  has  also  been  implementing  the  following schemes relating to education, health, economic empowerment, livelihood etc. in the Scheduled Tribe dominated areas of the country including North Eastern States:

- (i) Eklavya Model Residential School (EMRS)
- (ii) Grants under Article 275(1) of the Constitution of India
- (iii) Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojna(PMAAGY)
- (iv) National  Fellowship and  Scholarship  for  Higher  Education  of  ST Students
- (v) National Overseas Scholarship (NOS) to the  ST Students for Studies Abroad
- (vi) Aid  to  Voluntary  Organizations  working  for  the  welfare  of  Scheduled Tribes
- (vii) Venture Capital Fund (VCF) for Scheduled Tribes
- (viii) Pradhan Mantri Jan Jatiya Vikas Mission (PMJVM)
- (ix) Pre- Matric Scholarship
- (x) Post Matric Scholarship
- (xi) Support to Tribal Research Institute (TRI)
- (xii) Development of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs)

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