Lok Sabha Question No. 554 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-23
Subject: Economic Development and Employment Generation in Assam
Ministry: DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH EASTERN REGION
Asked by: Md. Rakibul Hussain

## Government of India

## Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 554

To be answered on

Wednesday, July 23, 2025/Sravana 1, 1947 (Saka)

## QUESTION

## Economic Development and Employment Generation in Assam

## 554.  Md. Rakibul Hussain:

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

- (a) the details of programmes  implemented  to boost industrial development, agriculture and tourism in Assam and the wider northern region of the country;
- (b) the manner in which the Government addressing the skill development needs of the youth in the region, particularly in sectors such as digital technology, tourism and agriculture; and
- (c) whether there is any targeted support for creating employment opportunities in Assam's tea industry, handloom and other indigenous sectors to foster sustainable local economies and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a) to (c) The list of schemes being implemented by the Government of India to boost Industrial  development  in  Assam  is  at Annexure-  I .  The  list  of  schemes  being implemented  to  boost  the  Agricultural  Development  in  Assam  is  at Annexure-  II . Further,  under  the  Schemes  of  Ministry  of  Development  of  North  Eastern  Region (MDoNER),  various  projects  have  been  sanctioned  to  boost  industrial  development, agriculture and tourism in Assam, the details of which are at Annexure-III . The Ministry of Tourism endeavors to put in place a system of training and professional education, with  necessary  infrastructure  support,  capable  of  generating  manpower  sufficient  to meet the needs of tourism and hospitality industry.

Under the Government of India's Skill India Mission (SIM), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill,  re-skill  and  up-skill  training through an extensive network of skill development centres / institutes etc. under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan ShikshanSansthan (JSS),  National  Apprenticeship  Promotion  Scheme  (NAPS)  and  Craftsman  Training Scheme  (CTS)  through  Industrial  Training  Institutes  (ITIs),  to  all  the  sections  of  the society across the country including Assam and other North-Eastern States. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready and equipped with industry relevant skills.  The Government is actively addressing the skill development needs of youth in Assam and the wider North Eastern Region through focused interventions under MSDE flagship  schemes.These  initiatives  prioritize  demand-driven  skilling  in  key  sectors including digital technology, tourism, agriculture, and handicrafts, which are integral to the region's economic potential. A pilot initiative for special intervention for promotion of apprenticeship  in North-Eastern  Region  (NER) was  launched  by  Hon'ble  Minister, MSDE in  Mizoram  on  20 th   May  2025.  Under  this  pilot  initiative,  over  and  above  the Government share of stipend provided under NAPS-2, an additional financial support of ₹1,500  per  apprentice  per  month  to  eligible  apprentices  of  NER  is  provided.Under Assam Skill Development Mission, the State Government of Assam has imparted short term training to 14,139 youth in agriculture sector, 10,496 youth in Tourism Sector, and 47,553 youth in digital technology since 2017.

The  Tea  Tourism  Infrastructure  Development  Scheme  of  the  Government  of Assam,  implemented  by  the  Assam  Tourism  Development  Corporation  (ATDC), provides a 50% capital subsidy up to a ceiling of Rs. 2 crore to tea gardens for creating tourism infrastructure. The Scheme also generates employment opportunities for local youth through skill training and upgradation.

Further, the Ministry of Textiles is administering the National  Handloom Development Programme and the Raw Material Supply Scheme for the development of handloom sector and welfare of handloom workers across the country including Assam. Skill  upgradation  training  is  provided  to  handloom  workers  in  technical  areas  i.e. weaving,  dyeing/printing  and  designing  etc.  through  Weaver  Service  Centre  under SAMARTH Scheme of the Ministry of Textiles across the country including Assam.

*****

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 554 TO BE ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 23 RD  JULY, 2025 REGARDING 'ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT GENERATION IN ASSAM'

## (1) NORTH EAST INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENT PROMOTION POLICY (NEIIPP), 2007

- i. North  East  Industrial  and  Investment  Promotion  Policy  (NEIIPP),  2007  was  a revised  version  of  the  erstwhile  North  East  Industrial  Policy  (NEIP),  1997,  and was  notified  for  a  period  of  10  years  from  1.4.2007  to  31.03.2017  with  the purpose to boost industrialization of the region.
- ii. Since inception of NEIIPP, 2007 Rs. 3824.68 Crore has been disbursed to industrial units as Subsidy for investment/Industrial promotion.

## (2)  NORTH EAST INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT SCHEME (NEIDS), 2017:

To  promote  industrialization  in  NE  States  and  to  boost  employment  and  income generation, North East Industrial Development Scheme (NEIDS), 2017 was notified on 12.04.2018 and came into force from 01.04.2017 for a period of five years (after closure of NEIIPP, 2007 on 31.03.2017). The Scheme covers manufacturing and service sector. It gave encouragement to MSME in both manufacturing and services sector.

## Various benefits provided under the Scheme are as under:

|   1 | Central Capital Investment Incentive for access to credit (CCIIAC)   | 30% of the investment in Plant& machinery with an upper limit of Rs. 5 Cr.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |
|-----|----------------------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   2 | Central Interest Incentive (CII)                                     | 3% on working capital credit advanced by Scheduled Banks or Central/ State financial institutions for first 5 years from the date of commencement of commercial production operation .The incentive will be so restricted as to ensure that subsidized interest rate is not below the Marginal Cost of funds-based Lending Rates (MCLR) of the lending institution. |
|   3 | Central Comprehensive Insurance Incentive (CCII)                     | Reimbursement of 100% insurance premium on insurance of building and Plant & Machinery for 5 years from the date of commencement of commercial production.                                                                                                                                                                                                          |

|   4 | Income Tax (IT) Reimbursement    |     |       | Reimbursement of Centre's share of income tax for first 5 years including the year of commencement of commercial production.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|-----|----------------------------------|-----|-------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   5 | Goods and Services Reimbursement | Tax | (GST) | Reimbursement up to the extent of Central Govt. Share of CGST and IGST for 5 Years.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |
|   6 | Employment Incentive (EI)        |     |       | Additional 3.67% of the employer's contribution to Employees' Provident Fund (EPF) in addition to Government bearing 8.33% Employee Pension Scheme (EPS) contribution of the employer in the Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
|   7 | Transport Incentive (TI)         |     |       |  20% of the cost of transportation including the incentive currently provided by Railways/ Railway PSU for movement of finished goods by rail from the railway station nearest to industrial unit to railway station nearest to the location of the buyer.  20% of cost of transportation for finished goods for movement through Inland Waterways Authority of India from the port nearest to the location of industrial unit to the port nearest to the location of the buyer.  33% of cost of transportation of air freight on perishable goods (as defined by IATA) from the airport nearest to place of production to any airport within the country, nearest to the location of the buyer. |

-  Overall Cap of Rs.200 Cr per unit for benefits under all components subject to investment in Plant and Machinery.
-  As on 31.03.2022 (being the date of closure of registration), 1211 applications were received on the portal for registration under NEIDS, 2017 Scheme.
-  974 industrial units (including conditional registrations) have been registered by the Empowered Committee under the NEIDS, 2017.
-  Till FY 2025, 719 industrial units have already benefitted under the Scheme, out of which 613 industrial units are in Assam alone.

## (3) UTTAR POORVA TRANSFORMATIVE INDUSTRIALIZATION SCHEME (UNNATI), 2024

-  Duration of the Scheme: Effective from the date of notification (09.03.2024) for  a  period  of  10  years  plus  8  more  years  for  meeting  the  committed liabilities.
-  Budget: Total outlay - Rs. 10,037 crores.
-  Part A - Incentives (Rs. 9737 Cr) - to eligible new industrial units and those undergoing substantial expansion.
-  Part B - implementation & institutional arrangements for the Scheme (Rs. 300 Cr).

As  on  date, 108 industrial  units  have  been  granted  registration  under  the Scheme.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 554 TO BE ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 23 RD  JULY, 2025 REGARDING 'ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT GENERATION IN ASSAM'

The following schemes are being implemented to boost the Agricultural development in Assam. These schemes are as follows.

- I. Central Sector Schemes
1. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN)
2. Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maan DhanYojana (PM-KMY)
3. Pradhan Mantri Annadata AaySanrakshanAbhiyan (PM-AASHA)
4. Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)/ Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS)
5. Modified Interest Subvention Scheme (MISS)
6. National Bee Keeping and Honey Mission (NBHM)
7. Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF)
8. Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)
9. Agri Fund for Start Ups & Rural Enterprises (AgriSURE)
10. Namo Drone Didi

## II. Centrally Sponsored Scheme

- (a) National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF)
- (b) Krishonnati Yojana
1. Integrated Scheme for Agriculture Marketing -National Agriculture Market (ISAMeNAM)
2. Integrated Scheme for Agricultural Marketing-Others (ISAM-Others)
3. National Food Security and Nutrition Mission (NFSNM)
4. National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil Seeds (NMEO-OS)
5. National Mission on Edible Oil-Oil palm (NMEO-OP)
6. Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH)
7. Mission Organic Value Chain Development for North Eastern Region (MOVCDNER)
8. Sub-Mission on Agricultural Extension (SMAE)
9. Digital Agriculture
- (c) Rashtriya Krishi VikasYojana (RKVY)
1. Rashtriya Krishi VikasYojana- DPR (RKVY-DPR)
2. Paramparagat Krishi VikasYojana (PKVY)
3. Per Drop More Crop (PDMC)
4. Soil Health and Fertility
5. Rainfed Area Development (RAD)
6. Agroforestry
7. Sub-Mission on Agricultural Mechanization (SMAM)(Crop Residue Management (CRM) now merged with SMAM)
8. Crop Diversification Programme (CDP)

## ANNEXURE-III

ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (A) TO (C) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 554 TO BE ANSWERED IN THE LOK SABHA ON 23 RD  JULY, 2025 REGARDING 'ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND EMPLOYMENT GENERATION IN ASSAM'

## Projects sanctioned by the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region to boost industrial development, agriculture and tourism in Assam since the creation of Ministry

| S.No.   | Sector      |   Projects sanctioned |   Sanctioned Cost (in Cr.) |
|---------|-------------|-----------------------|----------------------------|
| 1       | Agriculture |                    27 |                     164.14 |
| 2       | Industries  |                    48 |                     113.5  |
| 4       | Tourism     |                    17 |                     659.44 |
|         | Total       |                    92 |                     937.08 |