Lok Sabha Question No. 3213 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-03-20
Subject: Highway Projects/Rail Infrastructure in NER
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Tapir Gao

## Government of India

## Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No.3213

To be answered on

Monday, March 20, 2023/Phalguna 29, 1944 (Saka)

## QUESTION

## Highway Projects/Rail Infrastructure in NER

## 3213. SHRI TAPIR GAO:

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

- (a) the  funds  allocated  for  the  completion  of  highway  projects  and  development  of rail infrastructure in the North Eastern Region, State/ year-wise; and
- (b) the details of major infrastructure projects being undertaken by the Government in the North-Eastern region?

## ANSWER

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

- (a)  The state wise allocation of funds for the projects implemented through State PWD of NE States and BRO, are as under:

| Sr. No .   | State             | Funds Allocated in Rs. (Crores)   | Funds Allocated in Rs. (Crores)   | Funds Allocated in Rs. (Crores)   | Funds Allocated in Rs. (Crores)   |
|------------|-------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
| Sr. No .   | State             | 2019-20                           | 2020-21                           | 2021-22                           | 2022-23                           |
| 1          | Assam             | 445.2                             | 522.6                             | 419.06                            | 435                               |
| 2          | Aruanchal Pradesh | 557.06                            | 1286.21                           | 1726.36                           | 2225.64                           |
| 3          | Manipur           | 323.19                            | 203.48                            | 166.18                            | 135.3                             |
| 4          | Meghalaya         | 127                               | 73.55                             | 118.83                            | 76                                |
| 5          | Mizoram           | 153                               | 108.08                            | 155.18                            | 69.01                             |
| 6          | Nagaland          | 532.96                            | 402.04                            | 454.56                            | 343.2                             |
| 7          | Sikkim            | 31.1                              | 11.22                             | 46.36                             | 82.12                             |
| 8          | Tripura           | 71.86                             | 100.92                            | 129.34                            | 100                               |

The state wise allocation of funds for the projects implemented through NHIDCL is not done.  However,  year-wise  allocation  for  NE  states  under  various  schemes  are  as under:

| Scheme                                                 | Funds Allocated in Rs. (in crore)   | Funds Allocated in Rs. (in crore)   | Funds Allocated in Rs. (in crore)   | Funds Allocated in Rs. (in crore)   |
|--------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|-------------------------------------|
| Scheme                                                 | 2019-20                             | 2020-21                             | 2021-22                             | 2022-23                             |
| National Highway(O)                                    | 2,140.00                            | 6,517.67                            | 4,150.31                            | 12,011.69                           |
| Externally Aided Projects (EAP)                        | 1,213.00                            | 1,805.00                            | 2,151.00                            | 2,028.00                            |
| Special Accelerated Road Development Programme (SARDP) | 2,585.00                            | 2,691.00                            | 5,947.00                            | 2,900.00                            |
| Other Scheme (Bharatmala)                              | 0                                   | 50                                  | 920.19                              | 0                                   |

## Railways:

Railways projects are sanctioned Zonal-wise and not Region-wise or State-wise, as  Indian  Railways'  Projects  may  span  across  the  State  boundaries.  Average  annual Budget  allocation  of  Ministry  of  Railways  for  infrastructure  projects  and  safety  works, falling fully/ partly in the North Eastern Region since 2014, is as under:

|   Sl No | Year    |   Funds Allocated (Rs. in Crore) |
|---------|---------|----------------------------------|
|       1 | 2009-14 |                             2122 |
|       2 | 2014-19 |                             5531 |
|       3 | 2019-20 |                             4909 |
|       4 | 2020-21 |                             4669 |
|       5 | 2021-22 |                             7542 |
|       6 | 2022-23 |                             9970 |
|       7 | 2023-24 |                            10269 |

- (b)  Government  of  India  is  implementing  various  flagship  and  other  schemes  for  the development  of  the  North  Eastern  Region  through  the  respective  administrative Ministries/Departments within the approved financial outlays as per scheme design. As per extant policy of the Government,  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)  for  the  overall  development  of  the  region  including  infrastructure development.  Under  10%  GBS,  an  expenditure  of  Rs.3.84  lakh  crores  has  been

incurred  by  these  Central  Ministries/  Departments  since  financial  year  2014-15.  The year-wise details of Budget Estimates, Revised Estimates and Actual Expenditure under 10% GBS since financial year 2014-15 is given below:

Year-wise details of Budget Estimates, Revised EstimatesActual Expenditure under 10% GBS (Rs. in crores)

| Year   | Budget Estimate   | Revised Estimate   | Actual Expenditure   |
|--------|-------------------|--------------------|----------------------|
| 36,108 | 27,359            | 24,819             | 2014-15              |
| 29,088 | 29,669            | 28,674             | 2015-16              |
| 29,125 | 32,180            | 29,368             | 2016-17              |
| 43,245 | 40,972            | 39,753             | 2017-18              |
| 47,995 | 47,088            | 46,055             | 2018-19              |
| 59,370 | 53,374            | 48,534             | 2019-20              |
| 60,112 | 51,271            | 48,564             | 2020-21              |
| 68,020 | 68,440            | 70,874             | 2021-22              |
| 76,040 | 72,540            | 47,785*            | 2022-23              |
| Total  | 4,49,103          | 4,22,893           | 3,84,426             |

Source:

Statement 11 of Union Budget of various years

Note: Actual  Expenditure  figures  are  provisional  and  subject  to  vetting  of  Ministry  of Finance.

* Total GBS expenditure of all 55 Ministries/Departments for the current year 2022-23 up to the end of Third Quarter i.e. 31.12.2022.

Several  infrastructure  development  projects  have  been  taken  up  by  the  concerned central  Ministries  and  Departments  in  North  Eastern  Region  (NER),  which,  inter-alia, include:

##  Road connectivity:

A  total  of  4686  km  of  National  Highways  have  been  sanctioned  by  Ministry  of  Road Transport  &  Highways  in  NER  in  the  last  03  years  amounting  to  Rs.  60,093  crores. Major ongoing Capital Road Connectivity projects in NER include 4 laning of DimapurKohima Road (77.87 km) in Nagaland; 4 laning of Nagaon bypass to Holongi (167 km) in  Arunachal  Pradesh;  Alternate  two-lane  Highway  from  Bagrakote  to  Pakyong  (NH717A) (152 km) in Sikkim; 2 laning of Aizawl-Tuipang NH-54 (351 km) in Mizoram; 4 laning of Imphal-Moreh section of NH-39 (20 km) and 2-laning of 75.4 km in Manipur.

##  Rail connectivity:

19 railway infrastructure projects, falling fully/ partly in North Eastern States, covering total length of 1909 km at a cost of Rs.77,930 crores have been undertaken during the last  three  years  and  are  at  different  stages  of  planning/  approval/  execution.  Out  of these, 409 km length has been commissioned and an expenditure of Rs.30,312 crore has been incurred upto March 2022.

##  Air connectivity:

Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS)UDAN  (UdeDeshkaAamNagrik) on 21.10.2016 to enhance regional air connectivity across  the country from unserved  and  underserved  airports  in the country and making air travel affordable to the masses. Airports at Rupsi, Tezu, Tezpur, Pasighat, Jorhat, Lilabari, Shillong, Pakyong, Itanagar & Dimapur involving 64 routes have been operationalised under UDAN inthe North  Eastern  Region.  There  were  9  operational  airports  in  2014  in  the  North  East Region.  Presently,  there  are 16  operational airports in  the  North  East  Region. Additionally, Advanced landing Ground at Ziro has also been operationalized.

##  Waterway connectivity:

During the last three years, 4 Waterway projects/works costing Rs.1040.71 crore have been sanctioned in North Eastern Region, details of which are as under:

| Sl. No.   | Project /Work                                                                                                                             |   Cost (Rs.in cr.) |
|-----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|
| 1         | Comprehensive Development of NW-2 (River Brahamputra)                                                                                     |             474    |
| 2         | Comprehensive Development of NW-16 (River Barak)                                                                                          |             148    |
| 3         | Construction of Ship Repair Facility at Pandu (Guwahati) and development of Alternate Road Connectivity to Pandu Port (River Brahmaputra) |             388    |
| 4         | Development of IWT on river Khawthlangtuipui- Tuichawng in Lunglei District, Mizoram                                                      |               6.18 |
| 5         | Development of Inland Water Transport on Gumti River in Tripura                                                                           |              24.53 |
|           | Total                                                                                                                                     |            1040.71 |

##  Telecom connectivity:

Department  of  Telecommunications  has  undertaken  several  projects  in  the  North Eastern  States  for  strengthening  telecom  connectivity  in  the  region,  which,  inter  alia, include: -

(i) Arunachal Pradesh and 2 Districts of Assam Project:   Under this project 1,683 villages of Arunachal Pradesh and 691 villages in 2 Districts of Assam (KarbiAnglong& Dima Hasao) are proposed to be cover by installing  980  mobile  towers in  Arunachal Pradesh and 531 mobile towers in 2 Districts of Assam (KarbiAnglong& Dima Hasao) respectively. The project cost is Rs 1255.59 crore.

(ii) Meghalaya  Project:  Under  this  project  ,1164  villages  along  with  11  National Highways in the State of Meghalaya are to be covered by installing 889 mobile towers. The project cost is Rs. 804.37 crore. An additional 723 villages of Meghalaya are also proposed to be covered by installing 528 mobile towers under this scheme at the cost of Rs.167.59 crore.

(iii) Provision of mobile Services in uncovered villages in Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland,  Tripura,  Sikkim  and  Arunachal  Pradesh  (National  Highways  only)  of  NER and  seamless  coverage  along  National  Highway.  A  total  of  1358  towers  have  been commissioned under the scheme.

(iv) For making available high quality and high-speed internet access to the States of North Eastern Region of the country, Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) hired 20 Gbps  International  Bandwidth  for  Internet  Connectivity  to  Agartala  from  Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Limited (BSCCL), Bangladesh via Cox Bazar/Kuakata. The first 10 Gbps link was commissioned on 26-11-2021 and the second 10 Gbps link was commissioned on 21-04-2022. The project was completed with a cost of Rs. 17.15 crore through Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF).

(v) In  addition  to  mobile  projects,  BharatNet  project  is  being  implemented  in  a phased manner to provide broadband connectivity to all Gram Panchayats (approx. 2.6 lakh) in the country. Now, the scope of the project has been expanded to all inhabited villages. Current status of BharatNet Project in North Eastern States is as under:

|   S. No. | State/UT          | Total Planned GPs   |   OFC laid (km) |   Service Ready GPs on OFC |   Service Ready GPs on Satellite |   Total Service Ready GPs (OFC + Satellite) |
|----------|-------------------|---------------------|-----------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
|        1 | Arunachal Pradesh | 1,796               |            1519 |                         79 |                              885 |                                         964 |

| S. No.   | State/UT   | Total Planned GPs   | OFC laid (km)   | Service Ready GPs on OFC   | Service Ready GPs on Satellite   | Total Service Ready GPs (OFC + Satellite)   |
|----------|------------|---------------------|-----------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------|---------------------------------------------|
| 2        | Assam      | 2,665               | 4877            | 1,506                      | 5                                | 1,511                                       |
| 3        | Manipur    | 2,782               | 634             | 315                        | 1,152                            | 1,467                                       |
| 4        | Meghalaya  | 1,792               | 1069            | 122                        | 560                              | 682                                         |
| 5        | Mizoram    | 762                 | 689             | 41                         | 411                              | 452                                         |
| 6        | Nagaland   | 983                 | 2000            | 116                        | 116                              | 232                                         |
| 7        | Sikkim     | 185                 | 942             | 26                         | 9                                | 35                                          |
| 8        | Tripura    | 1,114               | 1686            | 587                        | 142                              | 729                                         |
|          | Total      | 12,079              | 13,416          | 2,792                      | 3,280                            | 6,072                                       |

- (vi) A pilot project for rolling out of 5 Lakh FTTH connections in GPs /villages across the  country  (including  NER)  using  BhartNet  through  BharatNetUdyamies  (BNUs)  with financial support from USOF is being implemented by BSNL. As on 14-03-2023, total 2,04,170 FTTH connections have been provided under the pilot project across country.
- (vii) 4G  saturation  Project:  Under  this  project  24680  uncovered  villages  across  the country are proposed to be covered with 4G services. It also includes upgradation to 4G service of existing 2G/3G sites at 6279 villages. These include 5665 villages of North East Region.

## Power Sector

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. 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 9.965  MW)  by  M/s  Assam  Power  Generation  Corporation  Ltd.  was  commissioned  on 14.02.2018.

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) 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 crores. In  addition,  the  Ministry  of  Development  of  North  Eastern  Region  under  North  East Special Infrastructure Development(NESID) Scheme  have sanctioned 06 power projects amounting to Rs. 273.01 crore.

In  the  renewable  power  sector,  a  total  generation  capacity  of  578.54  MW  has  been installed  in  the  North  Eastern  Region  and  Sikkim  (including  in  rural  areas)  as  on 28.02.2023 as per details given below: -

| State-wise installed capacity of Renewable Power as on 28.02.2023.   | State-wise installed capacity of Renewable Power as on 28.02.2023.   | State-wise installed capacity of Renewable Power as on 28.02.2023.   | State-wise installed capacity of Renewable Power as on 28.02.2023.   | State-wise installed capacity of Renewable Power as on 28.02.2023.   | State-wise installed capacity of Renewable Power as on 28.02.2023.   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                                               | States                                                               | Small Hydro Power                                                    | Bio Power                                                            | Solar Power                                                          | Total Capacity                                                       |
|                                                                      |                                                                      | (MW)                                                                 | (MW)                                                                 | (MW)                                                                 | (MW)                                                                 |
| 1                                                                    | Arunachal Pradesh                                                    | 133.11                                                               | 0.00                                                                 | 11.64                                                                | 144.75                                                               |
| 2                                                                    | Assam                                                                | 34.11                                                                | 2.00                                                                 | 147.93                                                               | 184.04                                                               |
| 3                                                                    | Manipur                                                              | 5.45                                                                 | 0.00                                                                 | 12.28                                                                | 17.73                                                                |
| 4                                                                    | Meghalaya                                                            | 32.53                                                                | 13.80                                                                | 4.15                                                                 | 50.48                                                                |
| 5                                                                    | Mizoram                                                              | 45.47                                                                | 0.00                                                                 | 8.02                                                                 | 53.49                                                                |
| 6                                                                    | Nagaland                                                             | 31.67                                                                | 0.00                                                                 | 3.04                                                                 | 34.71                                                                |
| 7                                                                    | Sikkim                                                               | 55.11                                                                | 0.00                                                                 | 4.69                                                                 | 59.80                                                                |
| 8                                                                    | Tripura                                                              | 16.01                                                                | 0.00                                                                 | 17.53                                                                | 33.54                                                                |
|                                                                      | Total (MW)                                                           | 353.46                                                               | 15.80                                                                | 209.28                                                               | 578.54                                                               |

*****