Lok Sabha Question No. 4281 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-26
Subject: Schemes to increase Investment in NER
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Shri Dilip Saikia

## Government of India

## Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA

## Unstarred Question No. †4281

To be answered on

Wednesday, March 26, 2025/Chaitra 5, 1947 (Saka)

## QUESTION

'Schemes to increase Investment in NER'

## †4281. Shri Dilip Saikia:

Will the Minister of Development of North Eastern Region be pleased to state:

- (a) the  schemes  implemented  by  the  Government  during  the  last  five  years  to increase investment in the North Eastern Region (NER) of the country along with the current status of the same;
- (b) the details of amount of funds allocated and spent under such schemes during the aforesaid period; and
- (c) the steps being taken by the Government for the successful implementation of the  said  schemes  along  with  the  change/impact  being  noticed  in  the  NER  after  the same?

## ANSWER

## The Minister of State of the Ministry of  Development of North Eastern Region [Dr. Sukanta Majumdar]

- (a) & (b) The Government of India had introduced a new scheme UNNATI (Uttar Poorva Transformative Industrialization Scheme) on March 9, 2024 for extending support to the industries  for  enhancing  regional infrastructure,  create  employment  opportunities,  and promote  resilience  and  prosperity  in  the  region.  Under  the  UNNATI  Scheme,  the following incentives are provided to the industrial Units:
- i. Capital Investment Incentive (CII)
- ii. Capital Interest Subvention (CIS)
- iii. Manufacturing & Services linked incentive (MSLI)

Under the UNNATI scheme the total budget outlay of the Scheme is Rs 10,037 cr. The total budget outlay is divided into two parts - Part A and Part B. Part A of the scheme, with an outlay of Rs 9,737 cr., if for providing incentives to eligible new industrial units and those undergoing substantial expansion. Part B of the scheme, with an outlay of Rs 300 cr. is for implementation & institutional arrangements for the scheme. 60% of the scheme outlay of part A is earmarked to all States of North Eastern Region (NER). The districts are categorized in two zones: Zone A (industrially advanced districts) and Zone B (industrially backwards districts) based on NER district SDG index (2021-22).A total of 56 units registration has been granted in the scheme till date

In  addition  to  the  above,  Government  of  India,  with  an  intent  to  build  a  strong ecosystem  for  nurturing  innovation,  startups  and  encouraging  investments  in  the country also launched the Startup India initiative on 16th January 2016. For the North Eastern  States,  2,109  entities  have  been  recognized  as  startups  by  Department  for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) as on 31 st  January 2025.

Further,to  facilitate  credit  access  for  the  Micro,  Small  &  Medium  Enterprises (MSME)  &  Micro  Finance  sectors  in  the  North  Eastern  Region,  the  Ministry  of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) has been providing annual budgetary allocation  to  North  Eastern  Development  Finance  Corporation  Ltd.  (NEDFi),  a  NonBanking  Financial  Company  (NBFC)  under  administrative  control  of  MDoNER,  in  the form  of  an  interest  free  loan  under  the  North  East  Enterprise  Development  Scheme (NEEDS) for the period 2021-22 to 2025-26, with a total allocation of Rs. 300 crore.

(c) The  initiatives  undertaken  by  the  Department  for  Promotion  of  Industry  and Internal Trade (DPIIT) for promotion of entrepreneurship in Northeastern states under Startup India, are as follow:

- i. ASCEND Startup Workshop Series and Women for Startups Workshops: The Government has organized a series of startup  workshops  -  ASCEND (Accelerating Startup Calibre &  Entrepreneurial  Drive), for  entrepreneurs, aspiring entrepreneurs, and students from the North-eastern region.
- ii. Knowledge  Exchange  and  Capacity  Building  Workshops:  DPIIT  organized knowledge  exchange  workshops  for  dissemination  of  good  practices  and mutual learning among States and UTs.
- iii. Startup India Yatra Initiative: Startup India launched Startup India Yatra in 2017 to promote entrepreneurship in rural and non-metro regions across States.
- iv. WING: As a part of DPIIT's program WING - a capacity development program for existing and aspiring women entrepreneurs.
- v. District  Outreach  Initiative:  DPIIT  is  promoting  entrepreneurship  by  striving  to establish at least one DPIIT-recognized startup in every district of India.

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