Lok Sabha Question No. 2387 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-01
Subject: Deficient Infrastructure in NE States
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Vishnu Dayal Ram

## Government of India

## Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. † 2387

To be answered on Monday, August1, 2022/Sravana10, 1944(Saka)

## QUESTION Deficient Infrastructure in NE States

## †2387.  SHRI VISHNU DAYAL RAM:

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

- (a) whether all the North Eastern States are still deficient in infrastructure;
- (b) if so, whether the lack of infrastructure has blocked the industrial development in the said region and if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the steps taken/being taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

(a)  to  (c)  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), and Actual Expenditure under 10% GBS

Revised Estimates (RE) (Rs. in crore)

| Year      | Budget Estimate   | Revised Estimate        | Actual Expenditure   |
|-----------|-------------------|-------------------------|----------------------|
| 36,107.56 | 27,359.17         | 24,819.18               | 2014-15              |
| 29,087.93 | 29,669.22         | 28,673.73               | 2015-16              |
| 29,124.79 | 32,180.08         | 29,367.90               | 2016-17              |
| 43,244.64 | 40,971.69         | 39,753.44               | 2017-18              |
| 47,994.88 | 47,087.95         | 46,054.80               | 2018-19              |
| 59,369.90 | 53,374.19         | 48,533.80               | 2019-20              |
| 60,112.11 | 51,270.90         | 48,563.80               | 2020-21              |
| 68,020.24 | 68,440.26         | 70,874.32               | 2021-22              |
| 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.

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  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.

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  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.

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.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.

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. 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.

4. 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)   | (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 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)   | (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         |

*Projects sanctioned to different agencies for various sectors under Schemes of NEC for all the North Eastern States.

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